The Beast Inside Us All
by MelodicStereo
Summary: A new girl (OC) has arrived in Japan on a student exchange program. What happens when she meets a member of the Zodiac family? (I would love comment and advice but no flames please...I know the chapters stop in funny places. And I'm sorry to all the people who have read the manga, but I've only seen the anime so that's what I'm basing it off of... PS: I don't own Fruits Basket)
1. Chapter 1

_I race through the woods, tripping over fallen tree branches and scraping my skin on the coarse dry brush. I need to find him, I think to myself worriedly as I jump over another exposed root, I have to. I hear a monstrous roar blare throughout the trees and my fear reignites; I change my course and follow the sound despite my instincts telling me to run the other way. My lungs burn and my legs ache, but I don't care. I have to find him. I see a clearing up ahead and I aim straight for it; worry, pain, and fear are the only things that bring me to a stop right on the edge. He's got to be there, I reason with myself, he has to. I enter the clearing, out of breath and weak. There's a lake, sparkling from the light of the moon, and rocks surround the nearby shore. I quickly scan the area and I see him, hidden within the shadows of some of the larger boulders. Fear grips me and a cold chill runs down my spine. My legs freeze for a moment before I force myself to walk toward his hiding place. As I draw near, a low warning growl emanates from the shadows and a pair of large purple eyes with black slits for pupils glow from where he's hiding. I could feel the hair all over my body stand on end as I force myself to speak. "Why did you leave?" I choke out, I could feel tears begin to run down my cheek, but I'm too filled with emotion to wipe them away. I receive another warning growl for an answer. I look into his eyes…full of fear…full of pain…and full of doubt. I don't know how it happened, but as I look into the whirlwind of destructive emotions concealed behind the veil of anger, I couldn't help but feel as if those same emotions are my own. More tears fall and my lip begins to quiver as I hesitantly take a step toward him. An earsplitting screech rings out from the shadow and I have to cover my ears in an effort to block out the noise, I know he doesn't want me anywhere near him…not like this…but I need to. I want to. I lick my lips, "Listen to me," I say as I kneel down in front of the entrance of his hiding spot. "I…I-I'm afraid of you, okay?" He growls, low and gritty. I know he knows that what I am telling him is the truth, and I also know that he will dismiss anything different I tell him, but I have to tell him everything. He has to know. I steel my nerves, "But…I don't care." A loud and shattering roar blasts from the inside of his hideout, "Liar!" his voice, distorted and mangled, shrieks. I couldn't help but let out a whimper. "Why won't you listen to me?!" I cry out in desperation, tears flowing freely down my flushed cheeks. "I'm telling you the truth! You scare me—yes—but I don't care! I don't care what you look like! And do you know why I don't care?!" I wait in silence for a few moments for his answer. I hear nothing. Instead, I see a large, square shaped head with long, thin strips of flesh for ears pressed flat against his skull and a monstrous jaw that takes up half his face filled with rows of grotesque gnashing canines poke out from the concealment of the shadows. I'm paralyzed with terror. His upper lip lifts in a snarl, "Why?" he growls, as if he is daring me to continue. I feel my bottom lip quiver as I try to form the words. "Why?!" he yells, his face inches away from mine and I could smell the rotting stench of his flesh; I do my best not to gag for fear it'll simply prove his doubt. I focus on his eyes, his beautifully animalistic glowing purple eyes that are filled with so much pain…with so much fear that it gave me the courage to regain my composure. "Because…" I say hoarsely, my voice cracking with emotion. "Because I—"_

"Passengers, please return to your seats. We are preparing to land at our destination in just a few short minutes." The stewardess cautioned over the loudspeaker.

I woke up with a jolt, wisps of the rapidly fading dream clogging my connection with reality. I put a hand up to my head as I opened my eyes to take in my surroundings. _Oh, that's right,_ I thought to myself a little disappointed as I glanced at the rows and rows filled with restless flyers, _I'm on an airplane. Dang, I must've slept for a while, my neck is so sore._ I gently rubbed the back of my neck as I looked out the plane's window at the quickly approaching ground below. I heard a man chuckling in the seat next to me.

"_Enjoy your nap_?" an Asian man, around his mid-forties, smiles, looking up from his large hard cover book.

I let out a sheepish smile, "_Yeah, but my neck's killing me. I must've slept wrong_."

The man chuckled as he adjusted his reading glasses, the corners of his kind blue eyes crinkling with amusement, "_I bet. Didn't you tell me that this is your first trip on a plane_?"

It took me a second to remember what happened before I dozed off; I nodded, "_Yeah…and I'm kinda surprised that I actually fell asleep. I don't usually fall asleep on long car rides so I wasn't expecting to fall asleep on a plane_."

The old man nodded in agreement and then he grinned, "And, uh, how is your Japanese?" he asked in Japanese.

I blinked a few times before I could answered, "Fine, I think." I said also in Japanese. _I don't see why, though, that I have to be the one that won the foreign exchange trip to Japan,_ I thought silently to myself, _I mean…out of all the places in the world they could've sent me to, they had to send me to Japan. Typical. I'm glad that my family's friend, Lee, is here, though, at least I won't be all alone in a country I've never been to._

"Well, I hope our little practice conversation earlier helped you a little bit," he said, also in Japanese. "'Cuz from now on, everything'll be in Japanese."

I sighed, "I know," I muttered tiredly. "And thank you again for helping me practice. It was very kind of you."

Lee bookmarked his page before closing it and putting it away in his light brown leather knapsack. "It was my pleasure. You are doing very well for a girl from the States." He grinned.

"And you have a very good sense of humor for an old man." I joked back.

He let out a hearty laugh, "Yes, well, one must learn how to make light of tense situations…especially if it's to help out a certain nervous young girl relax a little."

I smiled, "And thank you for that as well, if it weren't for your companionship, I might've still been apprehensive about this whole ordeal."

"Yes, well, your family and I have always been there for one another—basically, since your father and I were children—and, as you well know, I was more than happy to accompany you, the eldest of you three girls, to a trip to my homeland. It also gave me an excuse to avoid that horrid new boss of your father's and me."

The little orange seatbelt light began blinking on and off, telling the passengers to fasten their seatbelts.

"I know, Dad told me," I said as I tightened my seatbelt. "He said that that guy was basically firing people because he simply didn't like them. That's outrageous, I mean—and I don't mean to be rude—but you just don't do that!"

Lee nodded knowingly, "I know, I think he'll be fired himself within the month and all the people will get their jobs back if they want them. He has a boss too, you know, and once she finds out what he's doing, he'll get a taste of his own medicine. That's why karma can be a bit of a pain…if you do bad things to others, then bad things'll happen to you, but if you do good things, well then, good things'll happen to you in return."

I leaned back in my chair as the plane began its slightly bumpy landing. As soon as the plane was still and all the clapping faded away, the stewardess came back on the loudspeaker.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have safely arrived at our destination: Japan. Thank you for flying with _International Airlines_ and have a wonderful day."


	2. Chapter 2

Finally out of the chaotic airport and driving into the city, I couldn't help but look at all the marvelous and somewhat odd sights.

"It must be quite a culture shock for you, James." Lee commented as he drove down the street on our way to my new apartment.

"No kidding," I breathed, "If it was Mexico or Italy or-or Spain even, I don't think I'd be this…_wow_."

He chuckled lightly as we stopped at a light, "Well, I mean no offense, but for a young Latin woman to be in Japan I would expect no less than shocked. And…" he grinned as he looked at me from the corner of his eye, "I believe your new classmates will also be a little shocked to see such a—forgive me for a lack of a better term—spectacle such as yourself."

I sighed, "I kinda wish I could say it'd be the same back home…but you and I both know it wouldn't. America is just the giant melting pot of the world. Which is not a bad thing—don't get me wrong, I think it's rather incredible that so many different parts of the world can coexist peacefully—but things that would seem out of place in other parts, like me here in Japan for example, is considered common back home." I groaned softly, "I hope I can make some friends here."

"Of course you will," Lee smiled kindly as he parked in front of a very tall and large hotel. "I bet you'll meet someone that you'll want to get to know better on your first day of school tomorrow. And I also bet that you'll be quite the chatterbox as well, seeing as you're from the States and they've probably never seen someone like you, you'll be answering all sorts of questions."

We both got out of the car and went to the trunk to unload my things.

I pulled out my light blue suitcase and my red plaid duffel bag, "I just hope I can make at least one friend while I'm here, that's all."

Lee smiled once again as he shut the trunk, then his black brows furrowed as he pointed to my Brad Paisley backpack that I had on, "I still can't believe you actually brought that." he said, half laughing.

"Yeah…why, what's wrong with it?" I asked a little defensively.

He shook his head as he opened the door for me, "Nothing…it's just that, you're so…" he chuckled, "American."

I gave a small laugh as I went inside, "And is that supposed to be a bad thing?"

"Not at all." He chuckled as he followed me.


	3. Chapter 3

With the key in my hands, we began to make our way to my room.

"I didn't like the way that lady looked at me," I grumbled as we exited the elevator to my floor. "She stared at me like I had a second head."

Lee chuckled, "Like I said before, around here, you're gonna be considered a spectacle. You'll have people looking at you for the first couple weeks while you're here, but soon, they won't take a second glance."

"I don't mind if people look at me, just as long as they do it discreetly."

"Yes, well, I must admit, that wasn't exactly polite of her to stare so directly, but she probably hasn't seen someone like you before."

I gripped the handle to my suitcase a little tighter. _Yeah, well, let's hope she gets used to it. I don't want her looking at me like that for the whole time I'm here._

Suddenly, I heard someone running down the hall laughing; it sounded like a little kid.

"You can't catch me!" laughed a little kid in an adorable blue sailor outfit. He was looking back and he didn't notice us until he crashed into Lee. "Oh! I am so sorry sir! I-I wasn't watching where I was going! A thousand apologies!" he quickly apologized as he gave a low bow.

"Oh, that is quite alright, son." Lee smiled kindly as he patted the little boy on the top of his head.

The little boy straightened up and his brown eyes lit up when he saw me with my luggage, "Oh, are you just getting in?" he asked excitedly.

I was caught a bit off guard but I managed to give a small smile, "Um, yes, I'm on my way to my room right now actually."

"Cool! What room number is it? I can take you there! I know this place like the back of my hand!" The little boy beamed with pride. "What's your name?"

I looked at Lee for help and he simply smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"Jayme," I smiled, "and I wouldn't mind if you show us to my room. It's 805."

"Yippee!" he exclaimed as he grabbed my hand and led me down the hallway with Lee chuckling behind us. "Jayme, you're gonna love it here! The rooms are so pretty and the service here is so nice! I actually have a friend who works here and we play games all the time on her breaks. Hey…maybe you can join us! How long are you staying here, Jayme?"

"U-um…I'm actually gonna be staying here until the end of the school year." I said hesitantly. "Then I go back home."

The little boy gasped, "Yay! We're gonna be the best of friends! Where do you live? What school are you going to? How come you're wearing pants? And who is that man on your backpack? And what about that man with you? Is he—"

"Whoa! Calm down with the questions, huh?" I laughed. "Give me some time to answer them."

"Sorry."

"Um…well, uh, I'm actually come from the U.S."

"Wow! You live in the States! How cool!"

I chuckled, "Uh, yeah, I guess. Um…the man on my backpack is Brad Paisley, a Country singer."

"Country?" the little boy asked as he gave me a puzzled look over his shoulder as we turned yet another corner.

"Oh…I guess you don't know what Country is, huh? Well, don't worry…I'll let you listen to a lil' bit once I get settled in…if you want." I smiled.

The little boy gave me a big grin as he turned his head and led us down a long hallway. I looked over my shoulder at Lee who was following close behind and I gave him a 'help me' look. He grinned as he shook his head. I stuck my tongue out at him and he chuckled.


	4. Chapter 4

"So who's that man following us?" the little boy asked, "Is he your Dad?"

"Oh…him?" I turned my head back to the little boy, "No, he's just a friend of my family. He's helping me get settled in and then he's gonna go visit his family. But, I guess, he's like a dad to me."

"803…804…805!" the little boy stopped in front of a red door with gold numbers. "Well, here we are! So, what school are you going to?"

"Uh…I think it's…um…" my mind went blank.

"She's going to Ouran High School." Lee answered for me.

"Ouran High?!" the little boy exclaimed excitedly, his brown eyes sparkling. "Me too! What grade are you going into?"

"She'll be a Senior this year." Lee answered for me again, annoying me a little bit.

I shot him a look and he just smiled.

"Really? I'm gonna be a Junior!" the little boy beamed.

I was taken aback, _Holy crap! He's gonna be a Junior! No way…he-he can't be! He looks way too young!_ "You're gonna be a-a Junior?" I asked, making sure I heard right.

"Uh-huh! Do you already have your uniform?"

"Uh…yeah, it's in my bag." I said, slightly lifting up my blue suitcase.

He cocked his head to the side as he looked down at my wrist, "I like your bracelet." He smiled.

"Oh, this?" I asked lifting up my left wrist to show him my red string bracelet with jade animals of the Chinese Zodiac tied to it. "Thank you, Lee got it for me when I was a baby."

The boy ran his ivory finger over the jaded animals, "I like the rabbit, he's my favorite. Which animal are you?"

I smiled, "Well, I'm the boar. Not exactly the one I'd chose for myself, but oh well."

"You don't like being the boar?"

"Oh, it's not that…it's just well, back where I'm from, we have our own Zodiac—I guess you can call it—but it's made up of the constellations of the stars. I guess I'm just not used to the Eastern Zodiac, that's all."

The little boy smiled, "Did you know that there were originally thirteen animals of the Zodiac?"

I nodded, my eyes unconsciously shifting a little to the upper right in thought, "Yeah, it was the cat, right?"

The little boy nodded, "That's right!"

"Momiji!" yelled an angry male voice from down the hall. "Momiji, get your butt back here! Momiji!"


	5. Chapter 5

The little boy closed his eyes and let out an embarrassed laugh as he rubbed the back of his head, "Whoops! I forgot about Haru."

"Oh, is that your name?" I asked, "Momiji?"

Momiji opened his eyes and looked up at me, "Yeah, Momiji Sohma." Then he took a bow, "Sorry, but I have to go." He straightened up and began running down the hall after the voice—which I'm assuming his name is Haru since that is what Momiji called him—and waved over his shoulder, "I'll see you at school!"

After he was out of my eyesight, I glanced over at Lee who was standing next to me, "That was weird."

Lee let out an amused chuckle as he took the key from my hand and unlocked the door. "What did I tell you, hmm? It hasn't even been your first day of school and already you've made a friend." He opened the door wide for me and I walked into the room.

"Oh, shut up." I grumbled.

The room was nice enough—a full bed complete with red and white covers, a plasma TV, a maple wood dresser, two matching nightstands, matching maple desk, a small kitchen, and a bathroom—but it wasn't home. I sighed as I threw my belongings on the ground and flopped down on the bed.

"Well, this is a nice room, huh?" Lee said, trying to comfort me as he too walked in the room. He sat down in one of the chairs at the table by the kitchen.

I looked up at the fan slowly spinning above me, "I guess so."

Lee pulled out his cell from his front left pocket, "Well, I better go call your dad and tell him we got to the room okay." He pressed the speed dial number and held the phone up to his ear. I waited there on the bed for my Dad to pick up.

"_Hey man, you said to call once we got to the room_." Lee smiled. "_Yes, it was fine, she fell asleep about seven hours in though. Yeah, I know, it sorta surprised me to, but it is a long fly over here. Yes, we did. No, it was fine; it's usually a lot busier than it was tonight, so we got lucky. It wasn't that hard to find. No, nothing really. Yeah, hold on, I'm putting you on speaker_." Lee took the phone away from his ear and pressed the speaker button as he held the phone out. I sat up on the bed and leaned in closer so I could hear. "_Alright, Max, you're on speaker_."

"_Dad_?" I asked hesitantly.

"_James, how're_ _doing? How was your flight? Lee said that you fell asleep on the plane_."

"_Yeah, the ride was good and…yeah, I-I guess I did fall asleep. How's Mom and the girls?_"

"_They're good. Worried about you, but they're doing fine. They're at Grandma's right now with your _Tias."

"_Wait, if they're at Grandma's then…where are you?_"

Dad started laughing, "_I'm trying to finish this stupid tiger thing your cousin's got me working on!_"

"_Oh, Kat's summer project? The anatomy of the Saber tooth?_" I chuckled.

"_Yeah, I'm almost done, but the thing's stupid skull has got me thrown for a loop._"

"_Well, just keep working on it, Max._" Lee interrupted, bringing the phone closer to his mouth. He glanced over at the clock. "_I'm sure you'll figure it out. James has got to get some sleep; tomorrow's gonna be her first day at school and she needs all the sleep she can get. Otherwise I'm gonna have the teachers calling me telling me that your daughter has fallen asleep during math or something._" He laughed.

"_Alrighty. Just make sure you do your best over there, okay James? I don't want Lee calling me saying that you haven't been behaving._"

"_I won't Dad. I'll do my best._"

"_Alright, sweetie, be safe. We'll be waiting here back home for you guys to return. And we'll call in from time to time to make sure you're okay. We love you._"

"_I love you too, Dad._" I smiled.

"_And Lee, thank you again for going with her. You're really the only one I trust with my family._"

Lee smiled, "_No problem, Max. You've done the same for me._"

"_Okay, I'll talk to you guys later._"

"_Bye Max._"

"_Bye Dad._"

"_Bye you guys._"


	6. Chapter 6

Lee hung up and then shoved the phone back into his pocket. "Well, you better get some sleep. Like I said, tomorrow's your first day of school and you're gonna need all of your strength to keep up with that hyper little kid. What was his name again? Momiji?" he grinned.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

He laughed as he got out of his chair and walked to the door. "Well, if you need anything, you have my cell number and you know where I'll be staying. I'll drop you off for your first day of school, but after that…I'm afraid that you'll have to walk from then on out."

"I have to walk?! But-but…how far is the school from here?!" I groaned.

"It's not that far, just a few miles."

"A few miles?!"

He shrugged, "Kids here walk way more than that just to get groceries."

"Yeah, well, I _ain't _from here."

Lee let out a hearty laugh as he opened the door, "You're certainly gonna have an interesting first day tomorrow. Especially if you keep using words like _ain't_."

I rolled my eyes and smiled.

"I'll pick you up at 6 AM sharp." He said as he walked out the door, "And don't forget your uniform." He called out as he shut the door.

I shook my head and opened my suitcase to take out my pajamas for the night, a Captain America tank top and a pair of matching Stars and Stripes shorts. I also went ahead and took out my uniform that I'll have to be wearing from here on out, a short blue pleated skirt with matching blue blazer, a white linen blouse, white knee high socks, and a red tie that completes the outfit. I groaned inwardly as I looked at the skirt, _I don't like skirts and now I'm gonna have to be wearing one for the entire school year? Oh Lord, help me now. Maybe they have shorts or maybe a pair of pants I could wear instead. Hmm…I have to remember to ask. _I sighed as I changed into my pajamas and crawled into bed. I flipped on the TV and surfed through the channels, trying to find something to watch. I couldn't. With a shake of my head, I turned off the TV and tried my best to get some sleep. _Tomorrow's gonna be one of the most difficult days of my life, _I thought miserably to myself. _I just hope it won't be too hard. _I was soon able to drift off into a dreamless sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, I woke up without any trouble, got dressed in that horrid uniform, and was now on my way to my new high school. I was staring out the window of Lee's car, wondering what my first day at Ouran High would be like, when Lee said something that I didn't catch.

"Hmm? Sorry Lee, I wasn't listening. What'd you say?" I asked, looking at him.

He let out a soft chuckle, "I said we're here." He slowly stopped in front of a massive three, maybe four story building where groups of students were making their way inside. I groaned inwardly.

"Well?" he said, picking up my backpack from the backseat and handing it to me, "What are you waiting for? The butler?" he chuckled. "Go on and start heading to class, you've got about five minutes or so, so you should be able to at least find your first class."

I sighed as I opened the car door and got out. "_If anything happens,_" I told him in English so no one could understand me, "_I blame you._"

"_What could happen?_" he smiled, his blue eyes glinting with amusement. "_Besides, if something did happen, you'd whoop their butts in no time, what with your training in M.M.A. and whatnot. _Now, go on. You'll be late on your first day and that's not the greatest first impression. You got everything?"

I nodded as I gave another sigh, _I can't believe I'm doing this. _"Bye Lee, I'll see you later."

"Bye James," he smiled as I closed the door. He rolled down the window, "And remember, you'll be fine. Stop being paranoid and just be yourself."

I smiled as I shook my head, "Bye Lee."

He smiled as he rolled the window back up and left me standing in front of my new, if not somewhat ominous, high school.

I took a breath to calm myself. I then began to make my way through the crowd and into the school. I was able to make it to my first class, History, without a lot of trouble, but when I walked into the room I felt as if all eyes were on me. I could feel my cheeks burn a little as I scanned the room for an open seat. I spotted one right next to a guy with grey hair, which had a purplish tint to it, and I hesitantly made my way over to it. As I sat down, I noticed that the students were looking over their shoulders curiously at me and I felt myself shrink a little from their judgmental gaze.

"Don't mind them," the guy next to me said, glancing at a group of guys snickering. Then his dark purple eyes looked at me, "Are you okay? You seem a little…jumpy."

I felt my cheeks burn, "Is-is it that obvious?"

He smiled warmly as he bowed slightly in his chair, "My name is Yuki Sohma. What is your name? I haven't seen you around here before."

I blinked a few times, mostly from embarrassment, "Well, uh, my-my name is Jayme, Jayme Amor. And, uh, I'm new here actually. Brand new." _Sohma? _I thought to myself, _How come that name sounds familiar? I know I've heard that name before…I just can't remember where._

"Well, Miss Amor, just let me know if you need any help finding your classes." Then his eyes glanced down at my wrist, "I like your bracelet." He smiled softly.

I followed his gaze to my Zodiac bracelet, "Oh, thank you. My Dad's friend gave it to me when I was born." I smiled. Then I remembered that that was exactly what the little boy said last night, Momiji. I felt the wheels in my head turning, but before I could think about it long enough, the teacher walked in and class began.


	8. Chapter 8

"Alright class," the teacher spoke loudly as he stood in front of the chalkboard. "Let's start with a little icebreaker exercise…that way we get to know each other a little better. Okay everyone, stand up and form a circle around the desks."

I groaned inwardly as I got up and headed to a random spot.

"Okay, everyone'll say their name, what they did over the summer, and one interesting fact about them. Now we'll start from the left side of the room, so…that means you start sir."

Then, one by one, the students began to do as the teacher instructed and I was beginning to dread when it would be my turn.

"…and, well, I guess…one interesting thing about me" a guy with coppery hair and green eyes next to me pondered, "is that…I could put my leg behind my head."

The room began to hum with excitement and shouts of encouragement to demonstrate. The guy simply shrugged his shoulders and with a cocky grin, he lifted his leg up and maneuvered it behind his head. Applause exploded and he returned his leg to its original position, a smug grin on his face.

"That was…very impressive Mr. Soto." The teacher smiled. "Now Miss, I believe it's your turn." He said nodding to me.

I felt the heat rush into my cheeks as every eye stared at me, "Uh, well…um, my-my name is Jayme A-Amor and…um, well, over the summer…I-I basically read over the summer. Uh, and well…" I felt my cheeks turn even redder, "…Um, I'm not from here. I'm from the U.S."

Exclamations of awe and wonder rang out throughout the room.

"Can you speak English?"

"Say something in English!"

"What's it like living in the States?"

"Do you live in New York?"

"Have you met any celebrities?"

I kept looking around the room at the group of students that were all talking above one another; they were giving me a headache.


	9. Chapter 9

"Enough class!" the teacher yelled, trying to get a hold of his class. The talking immediately stopped and the teacher quickly regained his original calm composure. "My apologies, Miss Amor, and—if you wouldn't mind—please answer a few questions the class has. I'm sure we all like to know what it's like living in the United States."

I felt my stomach tie up in knots, "Uh, sure. I-I don't mind."

Suddenly almost every student raised their hands; I randomly pointed to a girl with blonde hair.

"How long have you been living in the States?"

I gave a nervous chuckle, "I've lived there all my life."

I picked another student, a guy with thick black glasses.

"I believe that the whole class would like to hear you speak English."

"Uh…sure." I said uneasily, "What-what do you want me to say?"

"It doesn't matter, really, anything is fine," he said.

"Um…okay." I quickly tried to think of something I could say. "_He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away._" I quoted in English.

"What did you say?" a girl with brown pigtails chirped.

"I said, 'he who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away'." I repeated, but this time in Japanese.

The teacher smiled, "Thank you, Miss Amor. Now I know you all still have questions, but we still have a few more people to go. I'm sure Miss Amor wouldn't mind answering your questions at the end of class."

The knot in my stomach tightened.


	10. Chapter 10

The icebreaker lasted until the bell rang and by that time, we've barely covered the first thirty odd students with still a few more to go tomorrow. I quickly exited the room, silently hoping to myself that no one would take the teacher's suggestion and start asking me questions, and began searching for my next room: Science. Soon enough, I found it and I was sort of glad that not all the seats were taken up. I found a seat for myself in the middle on the right hand side, a seat with a view for it was right next to the window and I could look outside instead of at the class.

The bell rang for class to start and a mass of students flooded in through the door at the last second. As I absentmindedly glanced at the flood slowly dwindle down to just a few students, a cute guy caught my eye. His unnaturally orange hair was the first thing that made me notice him and, as I watched him from the corner of my eye, he started to get cuter and cuter the closer he got. _Holy crap! He's coming this way! What do I do?! What do I do?! No…I shouldn't do anything. Just look out the window, don't look at him! _The guy with the orange hair then plopped down in the seat right next to mine and began to chat with a small group of guys on the other side of him. I sighed mentally as I focused on the trees flowing in the breeze outside, _Well, I guess I got my hopes up for nothing. I should stop doing that. I always do that, whenever I see a cute guy and he starts walking my way, I always think he's gonna start talking to me. Anyways, he could be a jerk for all I know._

The teacher then walked into the room, "Alright class, where you are sitting right now is going to be your seats for the rest of the year."

A few shouts of joy and several groans of disappointment were heard. I rolled my eyes; _she let us choose our seats. It's your own fault if you don't like where you sit._

"Now, now, I don't wanna hear it." She was a tall lady with a pair of red librarian glasses sitting precariously on her stubby nose. She then stood in front of my row, her hands clasped behind her back like a drill sergeant. "This row and this row," she pointed to my row and the only one right next to ours, "will be partners for any lab or pair projects we have this year. And the same for the next pair of rows and the next and the next."

I felt stomach jump into my throat for a moment. _So, that means I have to be partners with orange hair guy? _I felt my cheeks turn pink and then die down. _Well, I hope I can at least get along with him._

"Now then, please turn and face your partner and I want you two to share a little bit about yourselves since you'll be stuck with them for the entire year…unless I decide differently."

I glanced at the guy next to me and I saw him turn to face me, so I did the same. I noticed him study me and I unintentionally studied him in return.

"Well?" he said, crossing his slightly tanned arms over his chest, wrinkling the boys' black suit uniform, the alternating black and white beads of his bracelet clinking together on his left wrist.

"W-well what?"

"Well, aren't you gonna introduce yourself?"


	11. Chapter 11

"Um…sure. I'm Jayme Amor." I said a little hesitantly. "What about you?"

"Kyo Sohma." He said a little bitterly, looking down.

"Well…uh, I guess I look forward working with you, Kyo." _Well, that's another Sohma to add to the list. I wonder if he's related to that Yuki kid._

"You guess?" he asked slightly irritated, looking up at me with judgmental deep sardius eyes.

I was taken a back for a moment and I started to fumble for words, "Uh, well—what I meant was—I don't know you that well and you _don't know me, so_ _I'm not sure if we'll even get along. I mean—_"

"What the heck are you saying?!" he hissed uncrossing his arms and leaning closer.

I stopped, confused. "I-I'm sorry?"

"You're speaking freaking English! I can't understand a word of it!" he said angrily. Then he calmed down just enough to make sure he didn't attract any unwanted attention. "You're not from around here, are you?"

I shook my head, "No. I'm from the U.S."

"Explains why you look like that." He mumbled to himself.

"Wh-what's wrong with the way I look?" I asked looking down at my uniform.

He rolled his eyes, "It's not the way you dress, it's the way your face looks."

I felt myself shrink a little, "Oh…" _Great, now I have to be partners with a jerk. How lovely._

"No!" he exclaimed a little surprised himself at what he said before, "No, what I meant was…you look weird. No! Wait, I meant…you don't look like you're…from here."

"Oh!" I perked up a little. _Well, he's certainly not that articulate._

"Hmm…but I guessed you're from Spain or Mexico—well, before you started going all American on me." he looked at me from under his bangs which hung somewhat over his eyes, obscuring them from my view.

I gave him a small smile and I noticed his cheeks pink a little. _Is…is he blushing? No, he can't be. Right?_

"What're you smiling for?!" he asked angrily, apparently annoyed.

"Nothing." I smiled.

He lifted up an eyebrow puzzled as he shifted in his seat.

"Hey, are you—by any chance—related to a-a Y-Yuki Sohma?" I asked curiously.

I saw him stiffen, "Darn rat." He muttered under his breath.

I furrowed my brow, "I'm sorry?"

"Nothing." He looked at me from the corner of his eye. "Yeah, why?"

"Oh…'cuz he's in my first period." I explained.

Kyo didn't say anything; he simply glared at his desk.

"You…you two don't get along very well…do you?" I asked quietly, putting two and two together.

He then turned his glare at me, "You have no idea." He growled angrily into his chest.

"Sorry. Forget I said anything." I mumbled. _Okay, note to self: don't mention Yuki to Kyo…it ticks him off. I wonder if it the same if I mention Kyo to Yuki…_


	12. Chapter 12

His gaze softened a little, but I could tell that there was still anger hidden underneath his stony features. Then his eyes noticed my bracelet and they hardened once again.

"What animal are you?" he asked stiffly as he nodded to my bracelet.

"Oh…" I felt my cheeks redden, "I'm-I'm the boar." I said a little sheepishly.

A quick flash of fear ran across his features before returning to their original stony self. _I wonder what that was about, _I wondered to myself.

"Alright class," the teacher spoke up above the hum of overlapping conversations, "That's enough for now. I'll take roll and then we can get started."

The rest of the period went as smoothly as any first day at school would go, I guess, when you're a foreign student. The next couple of classes were the same as the first two, but during fourth period—when the teacher had everyone talk about what they did for summer and who they hung out with, I began to miss my friends back home—and I practically ran out the door once the bell rang for lunch. I walked around campus like a loner—which I pretty much was, I didn't know anyone and I didn't dare try and find that Momiji kid—so I tried to find a spot where I could simply sit down and listen to my music. Alone. I finally decided on the school's rooftop—not normally a spot I'd go, but I felt like no one would bother me up there—and I quickly climbed the ladder to the top. Once there, I sat down and leaned up against a storage unit and I pulled out my electric blue iPod from the inside of my Brad Paisley backpack. I plugged my ears with my black Skullcandy ear buds and I closed my eyes as I began listening to _Kryptonite _by 3 Doors Down. I finally began to relax for the first time since I've set foot in this strange country and I felt my hands drum on their own to the beat of the songs as they played through and took me back home…back where I should be…back where I belong.

I was humming along with the song by _Unstable _by Chaotica when I felt something kick my foot. I pulled out a bud as I opened my eyes to see what kicked my foot. It was that orange haired guy from my second period.

"What're you doing up here?!" he hissed, already ticked off.

"Oh, uh…I-I-I was just listening to some-some music…that's all." I said uneasily.

The bell rang somewhere off in the distance.

"That was the bell…you better get to your next class." He muttered, folding his arms across his chest.

I slowly got up. "Wh-what about you?" I asked, brushing the dust off my skirt. "Aren't you coming?"

He gave a bitter smile, "Nah, I thought I'd stay up here for a bit."

I furrowed my brow, "You sure? You'll be late."

His eyes turned cold as he glared at me, "I won't be late 'cuz I'm not going. I don't like my next class."

"How could you already know you don't?" I asked confused. "It's still the first day."

"I just don't, okay!?" he yelled, his hands balled up in fists at his side. "What's with you?!"

I felt myself shrink, "Sorry. I-I-I didn't mean to intrude." I apologized.

I squatted down and picked up my backpack, "I guess I'll go."


	13. Chapter 13

As I began to walk toward the ladder, I tripped on something and—just as luck has to have it—I fell into him. We landed with a soft _pop _and strange orange smoke began swirling around us. I started to freak out a little.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" I repeated over and over again as I sat up on my heels. The smoke quickly began to dissipate and where the guy was before now laid an unconscious orange cat, the same color orange as the guy's hair, on a pile of clothes.

I felt my mind pound as it tried to comprehend the situation; _Wait…wasn't that guy here? Where did this cat come from? Why is there a pile of clothes here? What was the puff of smoke all about? Wait…did the guy…change into a cat? No, no that's—that's impossible! Right? I must be going insane or something. But…there's a pile of clothes here, where did that come from?_ I felt all the air leave my lungs as I figured out the only logical possibility. _No. Way. He is the cat! _I looked at the orange cat lying motionless on the ground; the late bell rang somewhere off in the distance, barely able to make itself known to my chaotic thoughts. I cautiously poked the side of the cat. _Well, he's breathing at least. I can't believe that this guy turned into a cat! Holy crap! _I started to feel dizzy and I held up a hand to my head. _Okay…so now what? I can't just leave him here. I got to get him out of here…what if he turns and someone else sees him? It's already bad enough I did. _I opened my backpack and, carefully sliding the cat off the clothes, I stuffed his things inside. I then put on his black and red backpack backwards and ever so carefully laid the cat belly down inside. _I must look so weird with two backpacks on. I just hope no one sees me. Oh man…I hope Japanese schools don't have truancy officers like back home. _I slowly then began to make my way over and down the ladder, checking on the cat every so often to make sure he was doing okay. I hid behind a tree. _Okay, I got to make a run for it…just to make sure no one sees the now weird foreign girl skipping school. _I laid my hand on the cat, to make sure he didn't jostle too much when I ran, and took a deep breath. I sprinted with all I had and made it thankfully around the corner without any incident.

Doubled over slightly and my hand still on the cat, I took a moment to catch my breath. I walked over to the bench and took off his backpack, still breathing hard. Taking out the cat and cautiously laid him on the bench while I slung his backpack over my shoulder, I then picked up the cat and walked the rest of the way to my apartment with him clutched to my chest.


	14. Chapter 14

I opened the door to my apartment and placed my pillow flat on the bed where I laid the cat down. My heart was pumping a hundred miles an hour as I shrugged off both backpacks and they dropped to the floor. I groaned as I picked up my backpack and pulled out my iPod, hidden beneath the guy's clothes, and I plugged it into the mini speaker I brought with me from home. I needed something to ease my chaotic mind; I can't stand the silence. Besides, I had a feeling that when the cat wakes up and turns back into a guy, he'll be freaking out. The thought of orange hair brought a small smile to my lips. I left the room to go change into a pair of jeans—I'd feel kinda weird if I changed in front of the cat…even though he was unconscious—and when I came back, he was still out cold. Sighing, I sat down by the pillow. I couldn't help but stare at the cat…trying to fight of the compulsion to pet him. _He's a human…_I tried reasoning with myself. _If he wakes up to find some strange girl petting him…man, I don't even know what he'll do. I know that if I were in his situation…I'd be freaking out all over the place and be scared like heck. _The song ended and _Glad You Came _by The Wanted began playing and I couldn't help but sing softly along with it—if only to calm my nerves.

"_…Hand you another drink. Drink it if you can. Can you spend a little time? Time is slipping away. Away from us so stay. Stay with me, I can make. Make you glad you came…_" I sung softly.

I felt the cat shift slightly and I stopped singing and held my breath.

"Wh-what happened?" the cat groaned, lifting his head up. "What's all that noise?" He glanced around the room and then his sardius eyes fell on me. He let out a loud screech as he bolted for the exit. His hackles were up and his fur bristled as he backed up against the locked door like—well, like a scared cat.

I got up from the bed and slowly made my way to him; I then sat on my heels a few feet away.

"I'm not going to hurt you." I murmured kindly, keeping my hands on my lap where he could see them.

He didn't talk, he just kept meowing.

I sighed, "Look, I-I know you can talk…I heard you. And I'm really sorry that I had to bring you here, but I didn't want anyone else to see you. I-I-I thought that you probably don't want anyone to know so…" I felt my cheeks pink a little.

The cat blinked a little and then gave a very human sounding sigh, "Well, I'm screwed." He muttered bitterly as his hackles went down. "Did you bring my clothes?"

"Uh…yeah," I blinked, getting up and going over to my backpack. "I brought them just in case you—you needed them." My cheeks were turning even redder, I could tell.


	15. Chapter 15

A small _pop _sounded behind me and I turned to see what caused it. Big mistake. Standing in front of me, in a quickly disappearing cloud of orange smoke, was the guy…with no clothes. Heat flooded my face as I hurriedly turned my head to stare at my backpack.

"My clothes?!" he growled behind me.

I shakily gave him his clothes over my shoulder, and he snatched them as he angrily grumbled to himself.

"Alright, you can look now." He muttered after the sounds of rustling clothes went quiet.

I slowly turned around and was glad to see a fully clothed guy standing in front of my door; I let out the breath I didn't even know I was holding. He stood with his backpack slung over his shoulder, his arms crossed over his chest, and an annoyed look on his face. "I need you to come with me." he stated bitterly.

I blinked a few times, "Wh-why?"

He glared at me before growling, "You weren't supposed to know about what just happened. Now I need you to come with me."

I felt my guard go up, _Is he planning to kill me? Because I know too much? _ "I-I-I don't think I should." I said cautiously, taking a step back and tensing myself just in case.

"I'm not gonna hurt you!" he scoffed insulted. "I just want you to meet a few people." He looked down at my jeans and a puzzled look flashed across his face before returning to its stony demeanor.

I took a few moments to think, "Alright, I guess."

He nodded, "Good. You can leave your stuff here…you'll be back." And with that he opened the door and left.

Warily, I made my way to the door and peeked outside. I saw him marching down the hall. "Come on!" he yelled as he stopped and turned around to face me, "I haven't got all day!"

_Jeeze…touchy much, _I thought to myself as I locked the door behind me. I quickly caught up with him and we made our way out of the building.


	16. Chapter 16

On our way to…wherever it is we're going…I tried to make some small talk, but he just kept his hands shoved angrily in his pockets and his eyes glued ahead. I soon gave up my attempt and we fell into a deafening silence. We walked past building after building and somehow made our way to a wooded area and after seeing him go inside with no signs of stopping I reluctantly followed. After a couple hours of walking, we soon came up on a large house with smoke billowing from a thin chimney. I felt fear softly grip me as I warily followed the guy inside.

We walked into what looked like a dining area, but the table was too low and instead of chairs there were pillows.

"Kyo?" a voice called out from another room. "Kyo is that you?"

A tall man with shaggy black hair and dark brown puppy-like eyes wearing a traditional Japanese robe walked through a doorway connecting the two rooms. His large smile faded somewhat when he saw me; he cocked his head slightly as he gazed at me curiously.

"Kyo…" he said sweetly as he shifted his gaze from Kyo to me then back again. "You should've told me you were bringing company…I would've prepared something."

"Don't start with me, Shigure," Kyo growled, his hands balling up into fist at his sides. "Call Hatori. She saw me." then he left me there with Shigure as he walked out of the room fuming.

A shocked look came across Shigure's kind features, then his face softened and he gave a large smile, "Well, don't mind him. He's just mad that a pretty girl like you saw him."

Heat crept into my cheeks, "I don't blame him." I muttered quietly, "If I was in his shoes…I'd probably be mad too."

Shigure let out a hearty laugh, "You obviously don't know him very well." He said still laughing, "Well, go ahead and have a seat. I'm gonna make myself a cup of tea. Would you like one?" he asked, still half chuckling and halfway through the doorway.

"Oh, no. I'm okay. I-I don't wanna intrude." I said quickly.

"You're not intruding at all, my dear." He smiled with an amused gleam in his eye. "Please…I insist…let me be a good host."

"Um…o-okay." I mumbled, "If-if you insist."

"What's your name, Miss?"

"It's Jayme, sir."

"Please Jayme…call me Shigure." He waved a dismissive hand as he walked inside the other room, which I assumed was the kitchen.

I looked to where Shigure had gestured before when he asked me to sit down and I uneasily sat cross-legged on one of the pillows. _I wonder what they're gonna do to me…and who's this Hatori guy? What's he gonna do? Oh, I think I've gone way in over my head on this. I should've just left Kyo back on the roof—maybe hidden him somewhere where nobody could've found him—then I wouldn't be in this mess._

"I hope you like Jasmine tea." Shigure chuckled as he brought out a small dark brown teapot and a couple matching cups on a small wooden tray. He set the tray down on the table and he looked up at me, an amused smile on his lips. "You're not from here, are you?" he asked chuckling.

"Uh…no. No I'm not." I confirmed half surprised that he knew that. _Is it that obvious? Do I stick out that much here?_

"Hmm…I knew it!" he exclaimed dramatically as he raised a finger in triumph. He sat down on his heels at the table. "I thought you weren't by those peculiar pants—around here, women don't wear pants—but I simply thought it as a new fashion trend. What really proved me right was the way you sit!"

I looked down at how I was sitting, criss-cross applesauce, and then at the way he was sitting, on his heels. I felt my face flush as I began to rearrange my legs to match his.

"Oh, no!" he exclaimed holding up his hands, palms facing me, "Please…don't. It's fascinating to interact with another culture. Tell me," he began pouring steaming hot tea into one of the handle-less cups, "Where're you from?" he handed me the cup and I hesitantly took it. Surprisingly, the cup wasn't hot like I thought it'd be, instead it was more of a comforting warmth that flowed into my hands.

"Uh…I'm-I'm from the U.S." I explained a little uneasily. I was still worried that something bad was gonna happen and I was still on my guard.

"Interesting." He grinned, his brown eyes twinkling. "You know…I happen to be a novelist and I'm currently working on a piece that actually involves a girl from the States."

"You're a novelist?"

He nodded happily as he took a sip of his tea, "Yes…not the most glamorous life—I must admit—but it pays the bills and I enjoy doing it." He looked at me from his cup, "You know—and forgive me if I'm being rude—but do you mind answering a few questions for me? I do my research and everything, but there's nothing like hearing the information straight from the source. It would really help me with the accuracy."

I couldn't help but smile, "You're not being rude…I'd be honored to help you."


	17. Chapter 17

"Wonderful!" Shigure exclaimed as he reached into his robe. He pulled out a pad of paper, pen, and a pair of frameless reading glasses. "Now…do most girls wear pants like you?" he asked in a sophisticated tone.

"Uh…well, I want you to know that I'm answering these questions based on where I live, okay? So, what I say doesn't mean it's necessarily true for every American…okay?" I tried clarifying.

"Of course, of course." He waved a dismissive hand. "Now…are girls allowed to wear pants?" he asked eagerly.

I chuckled softly, "Well, yes, girls are allowed to wear pants, but we have a choice among pants, shorts, capris, skirts, dresses…you know, that kind of stuff."

"Fascinating." He muttered as scribbled down on his pad. "Now, the way you're sitting…do all Americans sit like that?"

"Uh well, I assume so…" I chuckled. I didn't want to admit it, but I was actually starting to enjoy myself a little and I felt my guard start to come down. "When we were little, we were taught a little rhyme to help us remember how to sit: _criss-cross applesauce_."

He furiously scribbled on his paper as he muttered under his breath, "_Criss-cross applesauce._" Then he quickly looked up. "Wait, what does applesauce have to do with the way you sit?"

"Nothing really, it's just something they came up with for the next part of the rhyme." I furrowed my brow, "Wait…you understood me?"

Shigure gave a shy smile, "Yes, well, I happen to know English."

I cocked my head in curiosity, "Really?"

He nodded, "_I actually pride myself in understanding the English language and how well I can hold an actual conversation._"

I smiled, "_Well—I must admit—I'm happily surprised that you do. It's actually kinda nice not having to speak in Japanese all the time. I mean…it's not that I have anything against the Japanese language, it's just that, well, I prefer mine…is all._"

"_No worries, Miss Jayme. I understand perfectly. Would you like to continue this Q and A in English then?_"

"_If you don't mind…but I don't care either way._"

He smiled and I saw his eyes glance down at my bracelet, "_I like your bracelet._"

I gave a small smile as I slowly turned my wrist so he could see all the animals. "_Thank you. My Dad's friend gave it to me when I was born._" I stuck out my wrist so he could see the animals more clearly.

"_My favorite's the dog._" He chuckled as he ran his ivory finger lightly over the jaded dog.

He took his hand away and I returned my hand back to holding the cup.

"_Okay, sorry…now where were we? Oh yes! I've heard that America is mainly a mixture of many different cultures instead of just one. Is that true?_"

"_Yeah, we have more cultures than we know what to do with._" I giggled.

"_And, uh, speaking of cultures—and I'm just personally curious, so I won't write this down—but, uh, what ethnicity are you?_"

"_Uh…Well, I was born in America—so that makes me an American—but my family on my Mom's side came from Spain and Italy while my Dad's came from Brazil and Mexico._" I felt my cheeks pink a little.

"_Ah…that explains why you have that sexy Latin flare._"

Heat flooded my cheeks, "_Thank you…_"

A knock at the door interrupted us.

Shigure sighed as he got up, "Perfect timing." He muttered disappointedly.

He soon came back with a man in a suit, carrying a briefcase and a stethoscope around his neck. The bangs of his inky black hair were slung over his left eye and he had a clinical vibe to him. I felt myself stiffen as he walked near me and my guard instantly went back up.

"Miss Jayme, I am Doctor Hatori Sohma." He introduced himself, bowing slightly.

"He-hello." I replied quietly. I noticed his dark green eye look over me, studying me, and I felt suddenly vulnerable.

"I understand that you know of something rather…unusual." He said calmly.

I nodded slowly, "Y-yes?"

He knelt down by my side, "You understand that this is an extremely delicate matter and no one should know about this curse?"

_Curse? Turning into a cat is a curse? I thought he did that on his own…guess not. I have a bad feeling of where this is going. _I licked my lips, "Y-yes." I whispered.

"Hatori, don't be so cold." Shigure complained, clasping him on the shoulder. "Can't you see you're scaring her?"

A lump formed in my throat as he studied me, "I'm sorry." The doctor said. "This is just a highly guarded secret."

"Wha-what're gonna do to me?" I asked hesitantly, afraid of the answer.

Hatori sighed, "I have to erase your memory. Just the part involving the curse…nothing more. It's a painless procedure and you'll be fine within an hour or so after."

"You make it sound like you've done this before."

"I have." He stated calmly.

I lowered my gaze, "I see." I set my cup down on the table. I knew what I had to do…I didn't want to do it…but I knew I had to. I licked my lips, "Let's get this over with," I whispered.

Hatori nodded, "Now, if you would look at me please."

I slowly lifted my head and looked up. He placed his hand over my eyes, lightly pressing his thumb and middle finger to the sides of my temple.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled as a bright light blinded me.


	18. Chapter 18

Kyo's POV:

I watched from a crack in the door as Hatori put his hand over that scared girl's face.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled as a light emerged from his hand and the force of it knocked the girl over. I knew she was unconscious.

"You can come out now, Kyo." Hatori called out as he slowly straightened himself.

Anger swept through me, _Crap! _I slid open the door and glared at him. Hatori looked at me with sympathy in his eyes which filled me with even more anger—I didn't like it when people felt sorry for me—and then he looked at Shigure.

"She'll be fine within the hour or so." He said in that disturbingly calm voice he always had. "I suggest you find a place for her to rest while she's unconscious."

"C'mon Kyo," Shigure sighed as he moved toward the girl. He bent down and grabbed a hold of her legs, "Help me carry her upstairs."

I reluctantly went and, together, we lifted her and began making our way to the stairs.

"She seems like a nice girl." Shigure grunted as we slowly and carefully climbed the steps, making sure to not let the girl touch either of us. "It's too bad that I couldn't get to know her better. I think she was starting to enjoy our conversation once she relaxed."

I stayed silent.

"Is something wrong, Kyo? Usually this is the part where you'd yell, 'you're such a pervert, Shigure. You're nothing but a sick twisted pervert' or something like that." He looked at me curiously as we reached the top of the stairs.

I glared at him, "Let's just get this girl outta here as quick as we can." I growled through my teeth.

"Oh…so it's about her, is it?" he smiled mischievously.

I felt myself stiffen inside, but I didn't let it show. "I just want this girl gone." I spat.

We carried her into the spare bedroom that Shigure just finished having installed and laid her down on the bed. She looked so peaceful lying there; it almost made me catch my breath.

"You know," Shigure murmured as he stood next to me, "Maybe you can get to know her. I mean, she does go to your school after all and maybe you could introduce her to Tohru. I bet they would make the best of friends. Hmm…it just makes me smile just thinking about the two of them laughing and having the time of their lives together, doing what girls do. Kyo? Kyo, what's wrong…you haven't said a word since we got up here. C'mon, tell me what you think of her. Man to man." I felt him nudge my shoulder.

I glared at him from the corner of my eye, "Nothing's wrong!" I growled.

He sighed, "Kyo…I know you enough to know when something's wrong. What is it?"

I looked back at the girl, her chest slowly rising and falling in a slow rhythm.

Shigure sighed again, "I guess I'm not gonna get a word out of you, am I? Well then, I'll be downstairs with Hatori. When she wakes up, tell her she fell and you brought her here and called the doctor."

I then watched him head back downstairs out of the corner of my eye and I let out the breath I didn't even know I was holding.

_Why didn't she just leave me up there on the roof? _I thought to myself as I pulled a chair from the corner and sat in it backwards with my chin resting on my folded arms. _What the heck possessed her to take me back to her place? After what she saw, she should've either told someone or just left me there. So…why didn't she? And why was she watching me when I walked into Science class? And what did she mean when she said 'I guess I'll be looking forward to working with you'? What did she mean, she guesses? _I felt my anger start to boil again as I watched her, frustrated that I was frustrated over what this girl said. _Why do I even care what she said? Millions of people have said things way worse than that and I could've cared less! So why am I obsessing over this? And why was she up there on the roof at lunch? That's my spot and no one goes up there but me! She should've known better! _A flashback from lunch interrupted my thoughts for a moment. I had just stepped foot on the rooftop and was heading toward the old storage room where I go for some time to myself and away from the annoying idiots at the school. Then I saw her…sitting there and her hands drumming to the beat of whatever music was playing through those black ear buds and her long brown hair moving slightly as she bobbed her head. I remembered standing there for a moment…paralyzed for some odd reason. I shook my head and the flashback vanished. _Stupid! This girl is stupid for running into me! If she would've never done that…then maybe…maybe…_

The girl began shifting and I heard a soft groan come from her.


	19. Chapter 19

Jayme's POV:

There was a slight dull pain in my head and I lifted a hand to my temple. _What the heck happened? _I asked myself as I sat up. I slowly opened my eyes and I noticed I was in a strange room with a guy sitting in a chair off to the side. _Hey, wait a minute, I recognize that orange hair! Wait, so was it him who put me here? What happened? I can't remember anything. How'd did I get here. Where am I? What am I doing here? _I studied the guy for a moment, he had his head down resting on his arms—he looked almost calm, except for the fact that his hands were balled into fists.

I licked my lips, "H-hello?" I called out cautiously.

The guy lifted his head and he looked at me with those sardius eyes of his, making me catch my breath, "Good, you're awake…I was wondering when you were gonna wake up from that fall you had."

I blinked, "I-I fell?" I asked, trying to remember.

He nodded as he got up, "Shigure saw it happen and he brought you here. The doctor said that you might have a little trouble remembering, but other than that you'll be fine." He walked over to the side of the bed and held out a hand.

Heat crept up to my cheeks as I took hold of it, "You-you did all that for me?"

"I didn't…Shigure did." He corrected sharply as he helped me up.

As I tried standing on my feet, he placed a hand on my shoulder to keep me steady; I blushed despite myself.

"The doctor is a friend of ours and he stayed to make sure you're all right. He's downstairs." he said as he led me to the doorway.

"O-okay."

We go to the top of the stairs and I felt my stomach sink a little as I gazed at the long way down. I felt the guy shift his arm from my shoulder to under my arm as we started walking.

"Just take it a step at a time." He cautioned as we slowly but surely made our way down the steps.

With every step I took, my legs felt like jelly and I had to lean on him for support which only made me feel even weaker. I was thankful when we finally reached the foot of the stairs and I let out the breath I didn't even know I was holding. We walked through a half-curtained doorway and entered what looked like a dining room. There were two men with black hair kneeling at the table with a cup of tea in their hands. For some odd reason, I felt like I've met them before...I just can't remember where.

"Ah…Miss Jayme," one of the men with brown puppy-dog eyes said as he stood up, "I see you're feeling much better. How's your head?"

"Better Shigure." I mumbled hesitantly. _How did I know his name? How does he know my name? Did that orange hair guy tell him? What was his name again? I can't remember…and why do I get the feeling of déjà vu? My head hurts…_

The man in front of me looked surprised, but the look was quickly replaced with a smile. "Good, I'm happy to hear that. Please…sit down. I'll pour you some tea."

"Thank you." I mumbled. I slowly sat down with my legs crossed while the orange haired guy walked to the other end of the table and knelt down, looking completely ticked off about something. I couldn't help but study him…I didn't know what it was but, I felt like I knew something about him—something I shouldn't—but I couldn't remember what. I put a hand to my head as it began throbbing dully.

"Here," Shigure smiled as he handed me a cup of tea in a small brown handle-less cup. "Drink this. It'll make you feel better."

I gave him a weak smile as I accepted, "Thank you."

Suddenly I heard a girl giggling from outside. A girl about my height with long straight brown hair and blue eyes opened the door and walked inside. She wore the same uniform as Ouran High—so I assumed we went to the same school—but in her hands sat a small light grey rat…and she seemed to be talking to it.

"I'm sorry, Yuki, but I just couldn't help but—" the girl stopped mid-sentence as she saw me; she quickly hid the rat behind her back in an attempt to conceal it. A small blush ran across her cheeks, "Oh, hi there!" she said cheerily, if not with a hint of nervousness. She looked over at Shigure, who was sitting to my left, "I didn't know we were having company."

"Well, Tohru," Shigure began explaining, "Miss Jayme here, hit her head and so I thought it'd be best if Dr. Hatori saw to her…just to make sure she was alright." He smiled at me, a warm almost sympathetic smile.

"Uh…well…I apologize for being rude, Miss," Tohru quickly interrupted, giving a slight bow in my direction, "But I had a difficult day at school and I think I should go and change into something more appropriate. I will be right back." And with that she bolted for the stairs.

_Well, that was weird…_I thought to myself curiously, _and what was with the rat in her hands? It looked almost as if she was talking to it. I get talking to your pet—baby talking and all that—but I think it's just a lil' weird for her to think she was holding a conversation with it. It's not like it can talk back. _Then a sudden flashback of the school's rooftop streaked across my thoughts—the guy, the cat, the weird orange smoke, the curse, the flash of light, everything—and felt myself start to go into a fog.


	20. Chapter 20

Kyo's POV:

After Tohru left, the girl suddenly froze and the tea cup slipped out of her hands. The cup fell onto the table and broke, spilling tea all over the place.

"Jayme?!" Shigure yelled, shaking her shoulder. Even Hatori looked concerned as he waved his hand in front of her face. "Hatori, what the heck happened?" Shigure snapped, worried.

"I don't know." Hatori mumbled as he began checking her vital signs. "Kyo, go get a wet towel."

I felt myself bristle slightly at the order, "I don't see why I'm the one that has to get the stupid towel!" I angrily shouted, but I stood up anyways and headed into the kitchen. I grabbed a towel from the drawer and ran it under the cold water. With it slightly damp, I walked back into the dining room to find that Tohru had come down. I didn't see Yuki anywhere. _He must be upstairs…_I thought angrily to myself, _Darn rat! _I quickly handed the towel to Hatori, "Here!" and he placed it gingerly on the girl's forehead.

"What's wrong with her?" I asked trying to be calm, but it came out cold.

"I'm not sure," Hatori answered, his stethoscope running up and down her back. A strange wave of something ran through me-it was almost like the feeling I get when I'm fighting and trying to defend myself yet it was different somehow...I'm not sure how to describe it-but it quickly vanished as I tried focusing on the situation. "It seems that she might be in a slight state of shock."

"Shock?" Shigure exclaimed, "But what could've caused it?"

"Is she gonna be okay?" Tohru asked, her eyes becoming dewy. She always cared too much about people…even the ones she didn't know.

"I'm not sure what caused her to go into shock, but look, she's starting to come out of it." Hatori said as he nodded to the girl as he took the damp towel away.

* * *

Author's Notes: Hi everyone! I know this was an extremely short chapter, but I promise the next one will be longer. I'm elated to see that people seem to be really enjoying my story and I thought that since this was a short chapter...I'd take the opportunety to thank all of you readers because you're the reason I keep writing! I'd also like to let you all know that way this story is made is slightly special-I have hidden (and will be hiding) little things from different anime/mangas*. (Example: If I was writing a story about D. Gray-Man and I introduce a doctor at the Black Order as "Dr. Hatori Sohma" or the Excorsits visit the "Phantomhive Manor" [Black Butler] or if one of the Fruits Basket characters were to say something similar to a catch/well-known phrase such as "Let's play 'The Which One is Hikaru?' Game" [Ouran High School Host Club] ect...) If you happen to find all of them by the deadline (which will be set at a later date, however I will give you a week's notice beforehand) and PM me the answers** (I'm sorry non-members T.T) and a name for an OC to use, you will guest star as Jayme's friend from the States via Skype (a type of video chat) which shall be presented around chapter 50 (don't quote me though, I have only written up to chapter 38 so far) I hope you guys find this at least a little bit entertaining :) I haven't seen a fanfic do this before so I thought I'd give it a shot and see if it goes well...you don't have to if you don't want to... To those who are willing to participate...happy hunting! :)

-MelodicStereo

PS: I will also try to update at least every Friday and if I can't, then the day before or after. However, I will be starting school again soon so I am not sure how the updating will be affected. Also, my hopes for this fanfic is for it to be as close to a novel as possible...meaning a LOT of chapters. I hope you don't mind.

*So far, there is only one mentioned and some will be easier than others.

**The answers must be on the same PM with OC name and I shall take the first one who sent me the most correct answers. The week before, I will give you the format and rules (if there are any) concerning the answers for the PM and I will also give you a list of the animes/mangas I have used because, let's face it, there are simply million upon millions of different ones *happy sigh* and people have different ones they tend to favor.

*~*~* (This is not a crossover...this is a Fruits Basket FanFic colored with some of the paint from other animes/mangas for the purpose of further reader involvement)


	21. Chapter 21

Jayme's POV:

I felt myself coming out of the fog as I began settling back into reality. I put a hand up to my head which was throbbing like crazy. When my vision came into focus, I saw a group of concerned faces staring at me.

"Jayme, are you okay?" Shigure asked, worry in his eyes.

"Does anything hurt?" Hatori asked, his eye searching my face for some sign of pain.

I searched through the faces, looking for the one I needed to find. I found him in the back with an anxious look on his face. I licked my lips as I tried to figure out a way to tell him something important without having everyone else know as well. I caught his eye with mine and I held it.

"I-I remember." I muttered hesitantly, hoping he'd know what I meant.

His sardius eyes went wide and his mouth fell open in shock; he started shaking his head in disbelief.

A strong hand gripped my shoulder, forcing me to look into the anxious eye of the doctor, "What do you mean you remember?" he questioned.

I looked at my hands in my lap; out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the spilled tea soaking into the bottom leg of my jeans.

"What do you mean you remember?!" he hissed, shaking my shoulder vigorously.

I couldn't look him in the eye; he started to scare me, more than I already was.

I licked my lips again, "I-I remember…I remember…what I'm not supposed to re-remember."

Hatori's hand fell off my shoulder and he looked dumbstruck. "You remember…" he mumbled absentmindedly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, regaining his calm and distant composure. "I see…Well, this is going to pose a problem."

"Hari," Shigure whispered hesitantly, "has anything like this happened before?"

Hatori opened his eyes and they locked on me, "No." he stated calmly with a hint of intrigue.

"So…she knows about the Zodiac Curse?" Tohru asked cautiously, looking at me with surprise.

I looked at her curiously, "Zodiac? You mean…there's more than just Kyo?"

She nodded solemnly as she looked from me to Shigure to Hatori to Kyo and then back to me.

"Well, I guess we have no choice but to tell you," Shigure smiled. "Do you know of the twelve Zodiac animals?"

I nodded.

"Well, the Sohma family has been…_cursed_…with the Zodiac." He then began to explain to me the entire story as the rest of them nodded in agreement as well as placed their two cents on the subject.

By the time he was done, Yuki had come down and the sun was sinking low behind the trees.

"So…if a girl hugs you," I summarized, looking at Shigure as I tried to make sense of what he said, "you turn into an animal?"

He smiled, "Yes—as does Yuki, Kyo, and Hatori."

I held a hand up to my head, I started feeling the jet lag kick in and I didn't completely believe them, "I must've hit my head harder than I thought." I mumbled to myself.

"Hurmph…she doesn't believe us." I heard Kyo scoff, his lightly tanned arms crossed over his chest, wrinkling his black school uniform.

I notice a mischievous smile play on Shigure's lips as he peeked at Hatori from the corners of his eye. "You know…I can prove we're telling the truth."

"Oh yeah?" I raised an eyebrow in doubt. "How?"

Shigure got up from his spot from across the table and walked over to me grinning.

"Shigure." Hatori warned half-heartedly as he took another sip from his tea.

I watched as Shigure wrapped his arms around me in a full on bear hug. Bluish purple smoke blocked my vision. I coughed as the smoke filled my lungs and my eyes began to water.

"Sorry…I forgot about the smoke." I heard Shigure chuckle embarrassed.

"It's okay." I coughed. I waved my hands in front of my face to move the smoke away from me. As the smoke cleared, I saw a cute black dog with his tail wagging next to me and sitting on a pile of clothes. He looked up at me expectantly.

I stared at the dog in a mixture of awe and disbelief. "No way…Shigure?! Is that you?!"

"The one and only." Shigure's voice responded as the dog placed a paw on my leg.

"_Holy crap_…" I breathed as I hesitantly reached out to pet him.

The dog's closed his eyes in bliss as his tail wagged furiously behind him.

"Oh, I forgot how good it feels to be petted." Shigure murmured as he rolled over onto his back so I could rub his furry belly.

"You perv!" Kyo exclaimed from next to me.

"Are you calling him that because you're jealous?" Yuki questioned calmly as he looked up from his cup of tea.

"Jealous of what?!" Kyo shouted as he shot up from his seat and slammed his hands on the table in front of him.

"Why…jealous because he's being petted and no one ever pets the stupid cat." Yuki smirked as he took a sip.

"Quit calling me stupid, you dang rat!" Kyo snarled as his anger flared.

Yuki set his tea down on the table and looked Kyo dead in the eye before calmly enunciating, "Stupid. Cat."

Kyo grit his teeth as he brought his hands up in a fighting stance, "You wanna go you frickin' rat?!"

"Would you two be quiet?" Hatori said dully, "Jayme is about to receive a call."

Suddenly my phone vibrated in my pocket. I stared at Hatori in shock as I pulled it from my pocket. _How'd he do that?_

I unlocked my phone and answered.

"He-hello?"

"Jayme! Where have you been?! I've been worried sick about you! I went to the hotel and you weren't there! I got a call from the school telling me you weren't there for your last couple classes! Did you ditch?! Jayme! Answer me! Did you ditch school?!" Lee's furious voice yelled at me through the phone. I had to move the phone away from my ear because he yelled so loud I felt like my ears were gonna bleed…and I could still hear him though...and so could everyone else.

"Lee, I didn't ditch!" I told him to make him stop shouting.

"Then why weren't you at school?!" he demanded.

"I wasn't at school 'cuz…" I quickly looked at the curious faces watching me and listening to everything being said so far. "_I didn't go to school 'cuz…_" I repeated in English. "_'cuz I had an accident._"

I got a warning look from Hatori. _Oh crap! He understands English too?!_

"What d'ya mean you had an accident?" Lee asked now concerned. "What kind of accident?"

I licked my lips as I stared at my lap, "_A girl accident._" I muttered, feeling my cheeks start to turn pink.

Hatori raised an eyebrow, but didn't say a word.

"A girl accident." Lee repeated, weighing it in his mind. "And you weren't prepared?"

"There are some things in life you're prepared for," I said as I snuck a peek at Kyo next to me, still glaring at an unnerved Yuki who was whispering something to a blushing Tohru, "and there are some things you aren't—like today."

"Hmm…I guess that's true." Lee reluctantly agreed. "But you're good now right? I'm not gonna get another call from the school telling me that you weren't there again?"

I heard a poof and a familiar bluish purple smoke curl around me. I turned my head to see what made the noise and I caught a glimpse of bare skin before a hand shoved its way to cover my eyes.

"Uh…no. No, I should be good now." I muttered into the phone as I tried to pry the hand off.

"And where are you now? I went to the hotel to check on you, but you weren't there."

"I'm at the store getting…some things."

"For four hours?!"

"Well, I didn't go to the store right away," I lied, trying to think of something fast as well as still trying to get the hand off my face. "I-I was stopped by that kid we met yesterday and he wouldn't leave me alone."

I heard Lee start laughing, "I think someone's got a stalker." He joked, the anger from before gone.

My cheeks turned red, "Shut up!"

"Alright." Lee chuckled, "I'll talk to you later, James."

"Okay, Lee. Bye." I said as I finally pried the hand off.

I clicked the phone off and I turned angrily next to me.

"What the heck was tha—" I stopped as a shirtless Shigure smiled sheepishly next to me, his hands moving more of his robes onto his lap. My face turned a hundred shades of red as I adverted my eyes. "I didn't see anything!" I blurted as I covered my eyes with my hands.

Shigure chuckled, "I know you didn't." I heard the rustling of clothes beside me. "Okay, I'm good."

I hesitantly glimpsed at him and thankfully, he was dressed back into his robes.

"That's another problem with this curse," he chuckled, "we have no idea when we'll turn back and it makes for some…_interesting_ moments."

My cheeks filled with heat as I studied my hands in my lap. The tiredness I felt before was quickly consuming me, but I knew I had to go back to the apartment—wherever that was—and get ready for tomorrow. I held a hand up to my mouth as I tried to stifle a yawn.

"What's wrong?" Tohru asked with a look of concern evident on her gentle features.

I gave a weak smile, "I'm fine…it's just a lot to take in, ya know?"

"You're tired." Hatori stated bluntly. "I'm assuming you arrived in Japan just recently."

I nodded, "Yeah, I got off the plane yesterday." I was beginning to become too tired to be surprised at his freakishly accurate statements.

He looked me in the eye, "You should go upstairs and rest. Your body is not used to the drastic time change and you'll need all the rest you can get."

I blinked a few times in confusion, "No, that's okay, I don't want to intrude. Besides, I have an apartment that I'm staying at so if I could find a main road, then I can walk from there."

"Nonsense!" Shigure exclaimed waving a dismissive hand. "I just had a new room installed that you can stay in and it's already late."He gave me a fatherly smile, "Listen to Dr. Hatori, Jayme, he is a certified doctor, you know."

Hatori's gaze turned to Shigure, "You make it sound as if I'm not."

"Please Miss Amor," Yuki smiled, "it's the least we can do to make up for what that stupid cat did."

"Quit calling me stupid, you frickin' rat!" Kyo hissed as he once again shot up from his seat. "What the heck did I ever do to her?! She's the one that ran into me!"

I felt myself shrink, "It's okay. I know it's my fault for getting you guys in this mess." I stood up and I gave a low bow to a surprised Shigure, "Thank you for everything." I mumbled, half from guilt and half from tiredness. "You're very kind." I then began making my way to the door. _I need to get outta here. I gotta get…back to the apartment. _I slid open the door and my vision started to blur. I stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind me.

"See what you did, you stupid cat?" I heard Yuki say menacingly as I began to wobbly climb down the steps.

"I said quit calling me stupid, you frickin' rat!" Kyo yelled as a crash rang from inside, "This is all your fault!"

My head began to feel light and I felt dizzy as I stepped down onto the ground. I heard the door slide open and someone call my name before I blacked out.


	22. Chapter 22

Kyo's POV:

I called out her name as she began crumpling down; I barely managed to grab her arm before she fell to the ground.

"Shigure!" I called over my shoulder as I struggled to keep her up, "Get off your lazy butt and help me!"

Shigure hurried out the door as well as everyone else except for Hatori. Shigure grabbed her legs and together, he and I brought Jayme back inside. We laid her down on the couch and Tohru came in with a glass of water and a damp towel. I looked on from a distance as Tohru and Hatori began fussing over her. I don't know what came over me when I watched her shut the door, but whatever it was, I was feeling it again as I watched her lay there unresponsive on the couch. Yuki came to stand next to me and I felt the familiar hatred for him come over me again.

"This is your fault." I growled at him, my eyes narrowing, but never straying from Jayme.

"I don't see why you feel like you need to blame me when this is obviously your fault." He said coldly, his eyes on Tohru as she placed the towel on Jayme's forehead.

I was about to blow up again when I saw Jayme's eyes flutter open and my rage was replaced with annoyed concern.

She opened her mouth to talk, but Shigure spoke first.

"Tohru will take you upstairs to get changed and then she'll show you to your room." He smiled gently, "I don't want to hear you say anything otherwise. Okay?"

Jayme gave an exhausted nod, "_Thank you_." She mumbled as Tohru lifted her arm around her shoulder and began to make her way up the stairs.

As soon as we couldn't see the girls anymore, Shigure let out a drawn out tired sigh as he sat down on the couch.

Hatori hung his stethoscope over his neck as he glanced at Shigure, "You know what we have to do." He said ominously.

Shigure nodded, "I know, but how do we explain to her that she has to stay here with people she doesn't know? And how do we explain that to her parents? They have a right to know where she is too. That call she got, whoever he was, was worried sick about her-you heard him. How do we explain to him that she needs to stay here?" he let out another sigh.

"Leave her family to me." Hatori said as he gathered his belongings together, "Just focus on her." He stared off into space for a moment, "She's different, somehow—I don't know how—but she is." Then he came back to reality. He made his way to the door, "Keep me posted." Then he went out the door and left.

"She's different?" I asked confused. "What the heck does that mean?!"

Shigure gave me a small knowing smile, "I just think that she has Hatori stumped about the whole memory thing. Something like that has never happened before." Then he cocked his head to the side, "Say Kyo, speaking of happenings, what happened when she saw you?"

I stiffened, "She ran into me."

"Well, I got that part," Shigure scoffed, "What I meant was tell me the details, like what were you doing before and after she saw you." He looked at me like a little kid and I had his undivided attention.

I grit my teeth as I focused on the carpet, "I went up to the roof. She was there, listening to music. The bell rang and when she went to go to her next class, she tripped and fell into me, somehow knocking me out. While I was out, I guess she took me to her apartment room 'cuz when I woke up, I was on a pillow and she was staring at me. She told me she saw everything and so I told her that I had to bring her here." I glared at Shigure, "End of story."

"She took you home?" Yuki asked, intrigued.

I felt heat creep into my cheeks, "It's not like I asked her to take me home!" I yelled at him, my hands balling into fists.

He gave me a blank stare, "Maybe she just felt bad for the stupid cat." He said nonchalantly as he looked back at Shigure.

My anger flared, "You wanna go you frickin' rat?!"

"Please…you can't touch me let alone beat me." He said in a bored-to-death tone.

"You guys, please." Shigure whined, standing up and ready to act as the peacemaker, "Jayme is upstairs trying to rest. She's had a very hard day and everything that happened to her is probably still spinning around in her head."

I felt my anger slip away as I remembered Jayme, but I couldn't help but say something to make it look like she wasn't the reason why I stopped. "Anytime, anywhere," I growled at Yuki, "We will fight…and I will win."

He rolled his eyes, "Is that all you ever think about?" he sighed then he looked at Shigure, "I'm going to bed." He then made his way to the stairs.

Shigure was about to say something to me, but I beat him to it.

"I'll be on the roof." I muttered as I went outside.

I climbed the ladder to the roof and laid down on its steep tiled side. I folded my hands behind my head and gazed up at the millions of stars above me. I stayed up there for hours, thinking about what happened today and that **girl** before I finally began to feel sleepy enough and went back inside. As I quietly climbed the stairs, I debated with myself whether or not I should check on Jayme. _Well, her room is on my way to mine. I should probably take a peek, just to make sure she's alright. It is my fault that she's in this mess. _I cautiously opened the door to her room, carefully sticking my head through the crack. I saw her, sleeping soundly underneath the covers and her long wavy brown hair flowing along her pillow, and I couldn't help but catch my breath at the sight of her. A relieved smile formed on my face as I slowly closed the door and went to my room. I fell into a dreamless sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.


	23. Chapter 23

Jayme's POV:

I sat there in my last class for the day, anxiously waiting for the bell to ring so I could find Tohru in order to give her back her uniform. It was incredibly nice of her to let me borrow one of her uniforms this morning as well as letting me borrow one of her nightgowns the night befor; I still can't believe that she would do that for a complete stranger like me.

I mindlessly twirled my pencil between my fingers as the teacher went on about what his rules for his classroom was and what he expects out of all of those bright Japanese students—but I think he meant everyone, he's just used to saying Japanese. Everything that happened yesterday was still swirling through my head and I couldn't help but think about it. The bell rang—finally—and I gathered my things and headed out the door to find Tohru.

I searched the halls, poking my head in this classroom and that, trying to find her.

"Where could she be?" I whispered under my breath as I turned the corner.

"Hey! Watch it!" a voice exclaimed as a hand gripped my arm.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" I said, looking at the person who had grabbed my arm to keep me from bumping into him. He had short shaggy hair, the top half white and the bottom half black, a few piercings in each ear, a couple necklaces hung around his neck, and a white trench coat with fur around the collar over his black school uniform. I couldn't help but stare at his appearance.

His grip on my arm tightened, "What're you staring at?" he snarled.

"S-sorry." I mumbled. I paused for a few seconds as I looked at his hair, then I gave him a sheepish smile, "I-I like your hair."

This seemed to catch him by surprise for his anger and irritation melted away and he gave a half-smile, "Thanks. It's natural." He let go of my arm.

I furrowed my brows, "Really? I've never seen hair like yours."

He rolled his eyes, "Yes, it's real. It's been like that ever since I was born." He grumbled.

I smiled, "Cool…I kinda wish I had hair like that—half one color, half another—that'd be awesome."

He cocked his head to the side, "You-you don't think my hair's weird?" he asked surprised.

"I like weird." I admitted, my cheeks pinking, "It separates us from every boring person on the planet."

He chuckled as he leaned up against the blue lockers, "You seem pretty normal to me."

The pink in my cheeks turned rosy, "I'm not normal." I mumbled.

He exhaled sharply, "You're more normal than me." He grinned. His gunmetal grey eyes glanced at my wrist. "I like your bracelet." He complimented.

I smiled, "Th-thank you. My Dad's friend gave it to me when I was little."

He reached for my bracelet and moved it around, "I like the ox." He said as he pointed an ivory finger to the jaded ox.

"Haru!" a familiar voice called out from behind me. "Haru, where've you been?"

I turned around to find the same little boy from the hotel the first day I arrived in Japan. He wore a girls' uniform, but instead of a skirt, he wore a pair of blue shorts. _Well, that's not odd, _I thought sarcastically to myself.

His smiled brightened when he saw me, "Hey, Jayme! I didn't know you knew Haru."

"I-I don't," I admitted as he walked over to us. "I almost bumped into him and we started talking." I explained, my blush deepening.

"Wait, Momiji," Haru interrupted, his brows furrowing, "Since when did you meet her?"

"I met her at one of my Dad's apartment buildings." Momiji smiled happily, "She's from the States."

Haru looked at me, "So, you two've already met?"

"Mmmhmm…" Momiji smiled brightly, rocking back and forth on his heels with his hands clasped behind his back. "Jealous?"

Color started to fill Haru's cheeks, "Je-jealous? Why would I be jealous?"

"Jayme!" I heard Tohru call, footsteps walking toward me. "Jayme, there you are. We've been looking all over for you." She looked at Haru and Momiji. "Oh, I see you've already met Momiji and Hatsuharu."

"Uh, yeah…just now."

"Hi Tohru!" Momiji exclaimed as he waved vigorously at her.

"Hey," Haru smiled, "I didn't know you guys knew each other."

I looked at Tohru, "Wait…did you say 'we'?"

"Momiji? Haru?" Yuki said as he came up from behind Tohru. "What are you two doing here?"

"They're here?!" Kyo exclaimed stopping on the other side of me, "Aren't you guys supposed to be at the main house or something by now?"

"Well, we were on our way when I lost Momiji." Haru explained, his happy demeanor turning to stone. "I was looking for him when…" he paused slightly as he glanced in my direction, "when I almost ran into her."

"They were flirting." Momiji said, grinning.

Haru and I blushed, "We were not!" we exclaimed together, much to our surprise. Our cheeks reddened even more.

Kyo grabbed Momiji by his shoulders, "I swear…every time you open your mouth, my ears bleed!" he snarled as he began to give him a noogie.

"Wah…" Momiji whined, "Tohru, Kyo's hurting me!"

"You guys never grow up, do you?" Yuki commented calmly as he watched the scene as if it was an everyday event.

Kyo glared at Yuki, "You wanna go, you frickin' rat?!" he lifted up his fist threateningly.

Haru laughed, "How many times do you need your butt kicked before you admit that you're weak?"

Kyo turned his rage onto Haru, "If I'm so weak, then how come you can never beat me?!"

"You wanna go?!" Haru growled, his hands clenching into fists.

Kyo flung Momiji out of his way. He balled his hands, "Whenever you're ready!"

"Well then, how about now?!" Haru exclaimed as he threw the first punch; Kyo quickly dodged out of the way and counterattacked.

The two of them then began an all-out brawl; however, neither of them was able to land a hit, they were moving way too fast and their blocks were preventing the other from touching them.

"You guys!" I exclaimed in shock as I stood by the lockers with Yuki, Tohru, and Momiji—out of the way. "What the heck is wrong with you two?!"

I kept looking from Kyo to Haru then back again; I was afraid they were going to seriously hurt themselves—and if not them, then someone else.

"Don't even bother, Jayme." Momiji giggled, tugging on the bottom of my shirt and making me avert my attention from the brawling duo. "They do this almost every time they see each other."

I looked down at him, "They do?"

He closed his eyes and nodded.

I looked back up and glanced at the both of them, "Well, they shouldn't. I don't know what happened between you two, but fighting is no way to solve anything."

Haru chuckled maliciously as he ducked away from Kyo's right-cross, "Of course you don't think it will. All you girls think that talking will fix everything. Girls can't fight for crap. Just stand aside and look pretty." He gave me a lewd smile. "After I'm done with him, I'll be waiting for my trophy."

"Excuse me?!" I exclaimed shocked and insulted.

"You can't talk to her like that!" Kyo yelled, taking another swing at Haru.

Haru grinned wickedly, "I can talk to her any way I want to, kitty boy." He then kicked at Kyo's head; Kyo matrixed out of the way.

* * *

Author's Note: I just want you all to know that your reviews don't go unnoticed; meaning the more comments/ideas/thoughts you give me, the more likely I'll be able to do something about it. (If I use an idea of yours, I will also give you credit, so no worries) I may be able to write well enough (Thank you by the way to all of you who liked my writing, it really means a lot to me) yet I can only do so much without the feedback from my readers. (I expect some reviews from those Haru fans I have about this chapter *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*...I'm sorry it took so long for him to show up, but every one will show up sooner or later.)

Anyways, point blank is..._please **review**_!

- MelodicStereo

PS: I don't know if you guys these Author's Notes or not...some say it takes away from the story...others say it helps them know a little more about the author (I haven't really mentioned anything about what was going through my mind when I wrote this or what kind of music I was listening to or what was going on in my life, but that's because I'm not sure if you want me to or not.) Anyways, let me know!


	24. Chapter 24

I couldn't take it anymore; I headed into the fight, much to the surprised exclaims of the trio standing by out of the way. I blocked one of Kyo's crosses and I grabbed Haru's already outstretched arm and twirled it around to where he was on his knees. I had his arm twisted behind him and my foot on his back so he couldn't get up.

"You have no right to talk to me like that!" I spat. "I am no one's trophy! Now apologize!"

Haru let out a hearty laugh, "I like a girl with spunk."

"Excuse me?!" I twisted his arm a bit harder and he winced.

He chuckled, "Hey babe, nice trick. Now how 'bout we go to the bedroom and I show you some real moves."

"You perv!" Kyo exclaimed as he punched Haru across his face.

I let go of Haru's arm and let him collapse to the ground. "What the heck is wrong with you?!" I questioned, confused. _When we were talking earlier, he wasn't like this and I'm not sure how he went from such a sweet guy to a_ _jerk_, I thought to myself.

Haru held up a hand to his head as he shakily stood up. "Wh-what happened? And why does my head hurt." He groaned.

Kyo straightened his shoulders, "You went Black Haru. I had to punch you to make you shut up."

Haru let out a groan as he avoided my gaze, "I'm sorry you had to see that Jayme." He apologized.

"What's Black Haru?" I asked hesitantly.

"When I get aggressive," Haru sighed, "I turn into Black Haru. It's been happening ever since I was little. I would get a little too…uh, emotional…and then I would start doing things and saying stuff I don't mean." He quickly lifted his eyes to look at me, guilt evident in those gunmetal grey orbs. "I'm sorry if I said or did anything to hurt or-or insult you…"

"You're frickin' right you better be apologizing!" Kyo growled with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Ooh Kyo," Momiji giggled, "Is that jealousy I hear?"

Kyo's cheeks began to color slightly as he grabbed Momiji by the collar, "I swear, every time I hear your voice!" he grounded his fist into Momiji's head, "Just shut up!"

"C'mon Miss Amor," Yuki said as he began walking away with Tohru. "Let's head back to the house. Shigure needs to talk to you."

I slowly began following them, but I paused to look back over my shoulder at the somewhat stunned threesome; Momiji smiled.

"You're going over to Shigure's, Jayme?!" he happily exclaimed as he struggled against Kyo's grip. "I wanna come!"

"What?!" Kyo cried, his eyes wide with shock, "Heck no! You're staying with Haru and away from us!"

"Actually," Haru interrupted, rubbing the back of his head. "I haven't seen Shigure in a while and I don't think he'll mind us visiting for a bit." He glanced at me shyly before returning his gaze to Kyo. "Now, let him go. Shigure won't be very happy if you two go over there like that."

"Well, of course you guys can come!" Tohru smiled happily.

Momiji was able to squirm out of Kyo's grip and he went over to Tohru.

"What's Shigure gonna talk to Jayme about?" he asked sweetly, rocking back and forth on his heels with his hands clasped behind his back.

"I'm not sure," Tohru shrugged. "But we should probably get going; I don't want to keep him waiting any longer." She then made her way back to Yuki and they waited for the rest of us.

"C'mon Jayme!" Momiji exclaimed happily as he tugged on my arm. "We can get to know each other on the way!"

"Uh…okay." I smiled nervously as he began a conversation with me. I stole a quick glance over my shoulder at Haru and Kyo; they were reluctantly following close behind, the tension from the fighting earlier still lingering slightly in the air.

As we made our way to Shigure's house, I answered some questions that Momiji had about America as well as making light conversations with Haru. I tried to get Kyo to talk, but he sulked in front of me with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"What's wrong with Kyo?" I asked Haru who was walking on the right of me.

"Don't mind him," he smiled, glancing at Kyo in front of us. "He's always like this."

"Really?" I tilted my head slightly as I watched Kyo angrily kick a rock off his path. "He seems ticked off about something to me."

I noticed Kyo flinch slightly, but he didn't say or do anything to suggest that he heard anything—and I know he did. I couldn't help but worry.

"Nah," Momiji grinned childishly, "Haru's right, he's always like this. Always mad about something."

An awkward pause enveloped us.

"Hey Jayme," Haru asked hesitantly, "How do you like Japan so far?"

"I like it," I answered cautiously, choosing my words with care. "I still miss America…but it's okay here. I got to meet some new people and experience a few things that I know I'd never experience back home."

"Really?" Haru questioned intrigued, "Like what?"

"Uh…well," I glanced at Kyo, he had slowed down slightly and it looked like he was straining to hear what I had to say next. "Uh…you know, getting to witness first-hand how another culture does everything." I smiled innocently, I didn't know whether or not Haru was one of the Zodiac animals like Shigure had talked about last night, but I surely didn't want to chance it.

We walked through the woods for a few hours before we came upon Shigure's home. We went inside to find Shigure lying on the couch taking a nap.

"Shigure," Yuki said gently, shaking Shigure's shoulder. "Shigure, we're home."

Shigure lazily opened one eye, "And I see Hatsuharu and Momiji are here," he said tiredly as he straightened up, "How are you two? I see you met Jayme."

"Yeah, I met her at school." Haru smiled.

"And I already met her," Momiji grinned as he twirled around in a circle, "I met her the very first day she got here!"

"Did you now?" Shigure smiled. He looked at me, his brown eyes twinkling with amusement, "And I suppose she already told you that she knows about the curse?"

Haru inhaled sharply and Momiji stopped twirling; they both stared at me with wide eyes.

I smiled sheepishly, "Uh, yeah. I know about the whole 'turning into Zodiac animals' thing."

"Yay!" Momiji cheered as he jumped into my arms; a yellow cloud enveloped us. When the smoke finally cleared, I was holding a yellow rabbit. "So that means I can hug you any time I want!" Momiji said, his rabbit nose twitching slightly.

"Momiji!" Kyo shouted, his hands balling into fists by his side. "You can't just go around hugging people!"

The yellow rabbit began snuggling against me and I couldn't help but let out a small giggle. _He's so fluffy! Ha, ha…"Despicable Me" reference. _

"I don't hear her complaining." Momiji smirked as he wrapped his little rabbit arms around my neck.

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the reviews *grins* I really like to see what you guys have to say...

1) Mason wrote..."I really like this and stuff, but I cant take it. Why did you call the school, Ouran high school. Are you a fan of the series Ouran HighSchool Host Club? The name of the school that the fruits basket characters attend is called Kabierea high school. But I forgot how to spell it. Other than that it is really cool and I like it, please keep and making it"

-Well Mason, there is a very good reason as to why the school has been named 'Ouran High' (and yes, I am a fan of the Host Club, *cough* Kaoru *cough* Hikaru *cough* but that's beside the point) I have made a small contest that I have decided to name 'Spot the Reference'. And since it's already been mentioned twice, I suppose that it's no longer a secret that the first reference is to Ouran High School Host Club. However, I advise all of you to keep these references to yourselves, you don't want your rivals getting all the answers now do you? The winner will guest star in the story or rather, their OC will. Don't sweat the details though, I'll provide more information on the contest as well as rules and submission when we get closer. The purpose of this is for further reader involvement. And no, this is not a crossover. This is still a Fruits Basket story with just a few references to other anime/manga (kind of like what they do in animes for example, Ronald Knox from Black Butler (Kuroshituji) looks like America (Alfred F. Jones) from Hetalia). *All references belong to their respective owners*

2) Kaylee-sempei suggested this in the reviews..."You should have (Haru) beat Kyo and then still be black when he tries to "take" Jayme and she'll push him away into Tohru. Then she'll find out that he's part of the zodiac too and prove that girls can't just stand around and look pretty! GO JAYME!"

-I gave your suggestion some thought Sempei, but when I re-read the previous chapters, I noticed that they were still in school so I thought about this scenario instead. I hope you ain't mad at me, but I thought having one of them turn in public this early in the story may affect the ideas I have for after this. I'm very glad you suggested something though! It tells me that you're gears are turning *grins* but I have something very special planned for Jayme *chuckles* and if I were to explain further as to why I couldn't use this scenario, I'd give all my secrets away...and this isn't One Republic *giggles at own joke* However, I do like this idea and might use it in one of the later chapters *rubs chin in thought*

Ok! That does it with the reviews for now I think...let me tell you a bit about me shall I?

Um...dang, I don't know where to start...or what to even talk about...uh...this is actually more difficult than I expected *rubs cheek* Well, I'll be starting college for the first time here soon in September so around that time, the updates may be a little sketchy what with all the homework I'll get...uh...I love to write FanFic as well as read them... D. Gray-Man is my favorite (such great work, if it wasn't in Manga form, it'd could be a college-level novel no doubt about...and the characters? Amazing depth in their personalities. It sucks that Hoshina (the creator) has put the Manga on hold because something is wrong with her hand. I hope she gets better soon...) Anyways, I have seen/read (or in the process of): Black Butler, D. Gray-Man, Fairy Tail, Fullmetal Alchemist, Fruits Basket, Psyren, Alice in the Country of Hearts, Air Gear, Kenichi the Mightiest Disciple, Hetalia (all series even Paint It White), Ouran High School Host Club, Soul Eater, Beelzebub, Orphen, Xiaolin Showdown (I found it on Animania, so if they count it, so do I) and so many more that I don't feel like naming...

If you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask...If it's a question I don't feel comfortable answering, then I'll give it to one of my favorite characters and see what they do with it *chuckles* but you never know if I'll answer it or not, so there's no harm in asking right?

I guess that's it for me...dang, I think the Author's Notes took up more space than I would've liked...I'll try to ramble less next time (I hope anyways) And remember...REVIEWS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME! *grins*

-MelodicStereo


	25. Chapter 25

I gave Kyo a shy smile and a shoulder shrug as I held Momiji; Kyo rolled his eyes and scowled.

"So, uh, Haru" I said, turning to Haru. "What animal are you?"

Color began to fill Haru's cheeks, "Uh, well, I'm a-a…" he looked at the ground and cleared his throat. "I'm the cow." He mumbled.

"Wow…" I said, unable to say anything else. "That's, uh, that-that—"

"Sucks, I know." Haru smiled knowingly as he looked up at me.

"No, I wasn't gonna say that." I pouted, trying to quickly think of something. "I was gonna say that's cool…in some cultures, the cow is revered as the most sacred of all animals."

His face brightened and the color in his cheeks darkened. His eyes then landed on Momiji who was still snuggling me.

"Momiji!" he scolded, "Let go of her. I've got to take you home soon, and I prefer to give you back as a boy rather than a bunny."

"Haru, you're just jealous," Momiji giggled as he rubbed his head against my neck, then he eyed Kyo next to me, "Both of you are just jealous 'cuz a bunny's way cuter than a cow or a cat."

Kyo's and Haru's faces redden at Momiji's accusations.

"Oh please!" Kyo shouted, raising a fist. "Why the heck would I be jealous of you?! You're nothing more than an annoying little brat!"

Momiji just shrugged his little bunny shoulders and giggled.

"Uh, Momiji?" I whispered into one of his long fluffy ears, "I think Haru's right, I think it'd be better if you go home as a boy."

"Oh, alright." Momiji sighed as he hopped down onto the floor. "But you gotta promise me that if I ask for a hug, you'd give me one."

"Sure." I chuckled. "If it's safe."

Shigure let out a light laugh, "Well, uh, I think we should go ahead and talk about what I wanted to talk to you about."

We all sat around Shigure, except for Momiji who hopped out of the room with his clothes tied around his neck so that way when he turned back, he could simply change and then join the group.

"Uh, well Jayme, I'll get right to the point." Shigure started, the tips of his fingers pressing against each other. "I want to offer you a room here, at my house, for the rest of your stay here in Japan."

I blinked dumbly. _No way..._

"Hatori's already talked to your parents about it," he continued, "and they said that—if you wanted—then they approve, but you have to say yes." He bit his lower lip, "Now, I know living in a house full of weird people that you've barely met—"

"I'd love to." I smiled.

"I-I-I'm sorry…?" Shigure gave me a puzzled look, his eyes wide.

Heat filled my cheeks, "I-I-I mean…I'd-I'd be honored to stay here." I smiled as I gave a low bow.

Shigure let out a huge grin, "Wonderful! I must call Hatori and give him the good news!" he shot up from the couch and ran into the kitchen, "I'll be back momentarily!"

As soon as he was out of sight, I was hug-attacked by Tohru.

"Oh Jayme," she exclaimed happily as she unwrapped her arms, "This will be fun! I've always wanted a sister!"

"Well, I guess that means you'll be seeing a whole lot more of Momiji and me." Haru grinned. "Hope you won't mind us dropping by now and then to make sure you're doing alright."

"And I'm sure Kyo would love to hear that." Yuki chuckled.

I looked around the room, "Hey, speaking of Kyo…where is he?"

"Hmm…he's probably up on the roof." Tohru shrugged.

I furrowed my brow, "Well, don't you think he should know? Doesn't he live here too?"

"Unfortunately…" Yuki sighed.

I shook my head as I got up from the couch.

"Where're you going?" Haru asked as I opened the door.

"I'm gonna go find him."

I walked around the outside of the house until I found a ladder to the roof. I cautiously climbed up and when I got to the top, I saw Kyo lying on his back with his hands folded behind his head gazing up at the sky.

"Hey." I said as I stepped foot on the roof. He watched me with an unreadable expression as I carefully made my way to him. "Whatcha doing up here?" I asked as I lied down next to him.

He studied me for a moment, his mysterious eyes searching my face for something; I felt heat crawl into my cheeks.

"What?!" I exclaimed nervously, my voice going an octave higher.

He shook his head, "Nothing." Then he looked back up at the sky. "I come up here to think."

"Oh…" I breathed, looking up at the sky as well. "So, uh, Shigure invited me to stay here…" I mumbled awkwardly, glancing at him from the corner of my eye. "And I said yes."

"I heard." He replied dully. He turned his head toward me, "Why?" he asked. "Why would you want to live with us? I saw your apartment; it's one of the nicer ones."

I shrugged my shoulders, "I'm not even sure why myself." I admitted turning to him. "When Shigure asked me to live with you guys…I don't know…it was like something inside me shouted yes before I could process everything."

"So…you don't wanna live here?" He questioned, a hint of disappointment hidden underneath his careless demeanor.

I giggled, "I guess I do—I mean, why else would I say yes?" I turned my head to him. "Why? You don't want me here or something?" I teased playfully.

A blush flowered across his face, "No-no that's not what I'm saying! I meant was—why don't you want to live at your apartment? Like I said before, your room was nice."

Color filled my cheeks, _He looks so cute when he's flustered, _I thought to myself. _No! Stop it! Bad thoughts! I can't like him…He's my roommate now! _"I don't know…something was off about that room from the moment I stepped foot in there." I lied. "I don't know what—it might've been the fact that I was millions of miles away from home—but the thought of staying in that room for the rest of my stay didn't set well with me." I wasn't sure why I was lying—I think it was because I needed an excuse to convince myself to stay here—but when I looked into Kyo's eyes, I knew that he saw through my ruse and he gave me a knowing half-smile.

"You know, you don't have to lie to me." He chuckled, propping himself on his elbow. "I don't care if you stay or not." He paused slightly before continuing, "But if you're dead set on staying here…I gotta warn you, there'll never be a dull moment."

I shrugged my shoulders and smiled, "Fine by me, dull is really not my thing."

He chuckled, "O-kay…don't say I didn't warn you."

I looked up at him, his sardius eyes half-hidden behind the tips of his dark amber hair, and I felt as if there was a string connecting the two of us, wanting us closer together. Our eyes met and my heart began to pound faster. I noticed his gaze flicker down at my lips and then back up to my eyes. Heat crept into my cheeks.

He parted his lips to say something, but Shigure began calling my name.

"Jayme!" Shigure shouted from below.

Kyo licked his lips, "Shigure's looking for you." He laid back down and looked up at the sky. "You better go…otherwise he won't stop 'til he finds you."

I sighed as I stood up, "Right." I made my way to the ladder, "Well, I guess I'll see you later." I muttered as I descended.

* * *

Author's Note: Don't you just hate it when two characters are about to kiss, but they don't? }:] I know I do...

Alright then...so like I said before, college is coming up pretty fast here for me and I'm nervous as nervous could be o.o" I know only two people who are going with me...so yeah... Um...So after about two weeks the updates might be a little sketchy, however, I'll try to update every Friday and if not, the day before or after depending...

Let me see...is there anything else I want to talk about? No one has asked anything so I guess I can't answer the questions you guys are thinking (and I know you have questions)

Kyo: Maybe they're just a bunch of pansies and are too afraid to talk to you -.-

Author: Kyo! Be nice...they come here to read about you and Jayme. They don't come here to talk to me...

Kyo: Hmph...*crosses arms* it's cuz you scare them off...

Author: I do not! They just don't want to...uh...interfere with my work.

Kyo: Yeah...I'm sure that's it...

Author: You're being a pain...-.-* maybe I should take this story in a different direction?

Kyo: O.O" What?! I-I mean...why should I care ? -.- It's not like I like where this was going...

Author: That's what you say with your mouth, but what do you say with your heart?

Kyo: What kind of girly crap are you talking about?!

Author: It's not crap! It may be a bit girly...I'll give you that one...but it's certainly NOT crap...

Kyo: Is too!

Author: Nuh uh!

Kyo: Uh huh!

Author: Nuh uh!

Shigure: Ok, well seeing as these two are bickering like an old married couple-

Kyo and Author: We are not!

Shigure: *chuckles* We'll see you guys again next time! Remember, we writers always love to hear from our readers! *whispers* especially from pretty high school girls ;)

Author: Shigure! *to readers* I'm sorry...but I can't change who he is -.-'

Kyo: He sounds like one of those crappy send-off from some crappy show -.-

Shigure: 'Til next time! XD


	26. Chapter 26

Kyo's POV:

I watched Jayme out of the corner of my eye as she went down the ladder. Letting out the breath I didn't realize I was holding, I gazed mindlessly at the clouds above me. _What was that? That feeling when I looked into her eyes? It felt…weird. I don't think I've ever felt that before—my heart felt like it was going to beat straight out of my chest and I couldn't stop looking at her lips—I must be imagining things. I could've sworn she was doing the same thing. Man, when Momiji said that Haru and Jayme were flirting…I don't know…it felt like my blood was boiling over—I wanted to beat the crap out of Haru and it wasn't because of the usual—and then he called her a trophy—who does that?! I can't believe he called her that and then he had the nerve to say he can show her some moves?! _A flashback of Jayme blocking my blow and twisting Haru's arm behind his back, making him to crumple to his knees, brought a smile to my face. _Dang, I have to admit, that girl does got some moves. I wonder if she can handle herself in a fight—I got to remember to ask her. A girl that can hold her own in a fight is my kind of girl! Maybe she can even help me practice so I could be able to beat Yuki! _I let images of her and I practicing run through my mind for awhile—her and I practicing on my speed, her and I practicing on my aim, practicing on my power, her and I laughing and having a great time together—and I sighed in content. _Maybe it won't be so bad—her moving in here—it might even make living here…bearable._

"Kyo!" Shigure called from down below. "Kyo, get down from there and help Jayme with her bags!"

"Why do I gotta?!" I shouted, sitting up. "Why don't you?!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Shigure shouted slyly, "but was I the one who let the cat outta the bag?"

"That's not funny!" I yelled, then I growled angrily to myself as I got up and climbed down the ladder. I walked over to Shigure and Jayme, her bags lying on the ground by her feet. She had changed out of her uniform and she was now wearing a pair of dark wash denim jeans and a black blouse with a pirate skull with a straw hat on the front.

Her cheeks pinked, "Sorry Kyo," she mumbled, looking down at her shoes, "I tried telling Shigure that I could do it myself, but he insisted on you doing it."

Shigure laid a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry, Jayme. A delicate flower like yourself needs to be taken care of—you needn't worry yourself with trudging up those terrible stairs with such burdens—you're like a fragile jasmine. Besides, Kyo's more than happy to take your bags up to your room." Shigure looked at me with a sly smile.

"Harrumph…fragile jasmine my whiskers." I grumbled, crossing my arms and glaring at Shigure. "You should've seen her today at school," I felt the corners of my lips turn up in a grin. "She got right in the middle of my and Haru's fight and she blocked one of my punches while she forced Haru down on his knees."

Shigure turned to Jayme, his eyes wide with shock. "Is that true?! You did all that?!"

A blush bloomed across her cheeks, "Yeah," she mumbled sheepishly. "I-I kinda know a little MMA…it's nothing really."

"MMA?" I repeated, stunned. "You know mixed martial arts?!"

"Isn't that what MMA stands for?" Shigure scoffed.

I glared at him, my hands balling into fists in front of me. "Shut up! I was just making sure that's what she meant!" I looked back at Jayme, her expressive brown eyes studying us, "How long have you trained?" I asked her in a calmer tone.

"Oh…uh, not long." She shrugged, lowering her eyes.

"But like what?" I pestered, "Five, six months?"

She mumbled something under her breath that I couldn't catch.

"Since you were little?!" Shigure exclaimed in shock, backing up a bit. "A delicate creature like yourself learning barbaric and filthy combat skills?!"

She shrugged her shoulders as she gave a half-smile, "Lee thought it'd be best for me."

"Lee? Who's Lee?" I questioned, my pulse quickening.

"Just my Dad's friend." She looked up at me, her eyes questioning.

Shigure closed his eyes and rubbed his chin in thought, "Alright, so not a jasmine," he murmured, "You're more like a rose then…" he smiled, walking over to her and clasping her shoulder gently, "a wild rose, beautiful and clam, but willing to draw blood in its defense."

"A rose that can take her own bags upstairs?" she asked, her cheeks filling with color.

Shigure let out a laugh, "Sorry, but I think you'll just upset Kyo." He glanced at me, "You see, he had his heart set on helping you move in as his way of saying 'I'm sorry I got you in this mess'." He gave me a sly wink and I felt my cheeks flush and my anger flare.

I was about to open my mouth to protest, but Jayme looked up at me.

"Really?" she asked nervously. "'Cuz if you don't want to, then I don't mind. It is my stuff after all."

I glared at Shigure, _Does he think he can just boss me around like that?! _I thought to myself angrily as I picked up a light blue suitcase in one hand and I slung a red plaid duffel bag over my shoulder. "Don't wait up." I growled, heading inside the house.

I was so ticked off at Shigure that I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I bumped into something, making some of Jayme's clothes fall out of the opened duffel bag.

"Watch where you're going." Yuki warned coldly, his eyes narrowing at me.

I turned my anger on him, "Why don't you?! I was perfectly fine until you bumped into me!" I shouted, tensing up ready to fight.

"It seems you're mistaken—like always—it was you who bumped into me, you stupid cat." he sneered.

"Quit calling me stupid, you fricking rat!" I was about to throw a punch at his face when I heard Jayme behind me.

"You guys," she sighed tiredly, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

I turned around and she had the rest of her bags in her hands—a blue plaid duffel bag as well as a drawstring bag with English writing and a pink haired guy laughing at a blue cat with wings—and her eyes landed on the floor at my feet.

I felt my anger decrease slightly, "What're you doing?!" I asked her. "Leave the bags there, I'm taking those next."

She shook her head as she knelt down to pick up the fallen clothes, "I didn't want you to do it all by yourself." She mumbled, straightening up. She looked up at me and Yuki, "I don't know why you two always seem to at each other's throats."

I glared at Yuki out of the corner of my eye; he did the same before he put on that stupid fake smile.

"I guess, we've just never really gotten along," he said with false embarrassment. "It really shouldn't worry you, Miss Amor."

She studied us for a moment before sighing, "Please don't call me that. I appreciate the respect—honest I do—but just call me Jayme, okay?" She gave a small smile, "I don't think you'd like me calling you, Mr. Sohma, now would you?"

Yuki gave a blank expression, "Uh…you can call me that if you like."

She furrowed her brows and her smile went away, "It doesn't matter what I want, it matters what you want." She lifted an eyebrow, "Do you want me to call you Mr. Sohma?"

Yuki faltered slightly, "If it makes you comfortable calling me that."

She pursed her lips, "You're not answering the question. Do you want me to call you Mr. Sohma—yes or no?" she asked sternly.

"Uh, no?"

She rolled her eyes and smiled, "Jeeze, man, you gotta learn to get what I'm saying."

Yuki nodded confused, "Well, I need to find Miss Honda. If you will excuse me…"

I couldn't help but snicker as Yuki walked past me—earning me a glare—but I didn't care, I kept snickering.

She let out a drawn out sigh, "Well, I guess you were right…I don't think there'll be a dull moment." She headed to the stairs, "You coming?" she called over her shoulder in that American accent.

I chuckled to myself as I followed her up the stairs, _Her accent's so weird…but like an adorable weird._

* * *

Author's Note: Hey readers! It looks like we got some questions to answer! *grins brightly* So the first one is from The Yoshinator..."What moment do you like the most in Xiaolin Showdown?"

-That's actually really difficult to say *rubs chin in thought* but I guess I have to go with the episode where Hannible Bean is trying to convince Rai that he's evil and he beats Hannible with the help of his younger self (Oh little Rai is so adorable!) I love the moment where Rai and Little Rai are up in the clouds at the end of the episode...so cute!

Kyo: Are you done yet? -.- There's still another one. *snatches paper from author* This one is from SmolderingBlackRose..."The Zodiac Bracelet that (Jayme) has... Who gave it to her?" Hey, didn't you already answer this question back in chapter five or something?

Author: Yeah, but people tend to forget things...look, if you keep reading she says..."For some reason I feel as if it's a member of the Zodiac or something like that, because she's not saying any names." Well, I'm sorry, but according to Jayme, she got it from Lee when she was born. The REAL question you should be asking is 'who gave it to Lee?' ;)

Kyo: So...who DID give it to that guy? o.o?

Author: I'm not telling...*giggles* you'll find out later in the story. XP

Kyo: You're almost as bad as Shigure... -.-

Author: And you sound like Yuki... ;P

Kyo: I'll kill you if you say that to me again -.-*

Author: Well, I guess that's that...

Kyo: Finally -.-

Author: Alrighty then, that's it for this chapter! Remember to Review and/or PM! I love to hear from all of you! Til next time!

Kyo: Again with the crappy sign off -.-

Author: Well fine, you're doing the next chapter then...

Kyo: What!? Why?!

Author: Cuz I said so...

Kyo: -.-*

Author: Oh! I almost forgot...I saw the new Xiaolin Chronicles (Xiaolin Showdown comeback) and I wanted to leave you, my lovely readers, with a question... What are YOUR thoughts about it? I won't say my opinion on it until I hear from you...or those of you who've seen either both or just one of these shows...

Share your opinions!


	27. Chapter 27

Jayme's POV:

The next couple of weeks were interesting, not only because I was living with people I've never even met before—not to mention that the guys in the house are part of the Sohma Zodiac Curse—but also because of the awkward moments that happen when they change back. However, after a while, I sort of got used to living with them, and my guard started to come down; meaning I was acting more like myself.

I was relaxing on the couch reading a passage from one of Shigure's books that he was working on.

"So?" Shigure asked eagerly, sitting on the other side of the couch. He had been waiting for about fifteen minutes for me to finish and he wanted my opinion on what he wrote.

I smiled as I handed him back the pages, "It's very good," I said sincerely, "But I don't get why the main character has to take the long way around instead of the passage through the woods. Wouldn't that be easier?"

He chuckled to himself as he straightened out the papers on the end table, "There is a reason why he's taking that way." He smiled.

"And that is because…?" I raised an eyebrow in anticipation.

Shigure merely grinned as he walked back to his study, "You'll have to keep reading to find out!" he sang over his shoulder.

I rolled my eyes as I shook my head, "Writers…" I smiled to myself, "What're you gonna do?"

Suddenly I heard my stomach growl; I quickly wrapped my arms around it as if that alone would stop the noise. As soon as the growling stopped, I got up from the couch and made my way over to Shigure's study.

I poked my head through the open door, "Hey Shigure? Do you mind if I have something to eat?" I asked, silently hoping that my stomach wouldn't rumble again.

Shigure sighed as he looked at me from the corner of his frameless reading glasses, "Jayme, how many times do I have to tell you? You live here now; you don't have to keep asking my permission for stuff like that."

"Sorry." I mumbled shyly as I left.

I headed into the kitchen and I pulled out a small bowl and set it on the counter next to the steamer full of fresh rice that Tohru had made before her and Yuki went to go get groceries. I opened the lid and proceeded to serve myself a small helping of steamed white rice. I was about to go upstairs to go get my fork, but for some reason, I didn't. _I've never eaten with the Sohmas since I got here…I was always upstairs trying to get used to the time change…and I still need to learn how to eat with chopsticks. Every time I've eaten here, I've always eaten with the fork I had brought from home that I've always kept in my bag. Hmm…maybe I should practice, I'm sure that sooner or later one of them is going to ask me to have dinner with them and I don't want to be embarrassed. _I quickly looked over my shoulder to make sure no one was watching me. _Hmm…Tohru and Yuki are at the store, Shigure is in his study, and Kyo…well, Kyo's not here. _I walked over to the drawer were they keep their chopsticks and I pulled out a blue and gold pair. I walked back over to my bowl, _Okay, now all I have to do is figure out how to hold these…and how to pick up food. That shouldn't be too hard…right? _

I positioned the sticks between my fingers, but I couldn't get a hold of them because the bottom stick kept sliding to the side. I furrowed my brows as I repositioned them; after a few clumsily attempts, I was able to hold the chopsticks in my hand without one of them moving on me. I smiled at my accomplishment. _Now for the real test. _I carefully moved the chopsticks apart from each other as I attempted to pick up a small clump of rice. The tips of the chopsticks made contact with the rice, but when I went to pick it up, the chopsticks sliced the rice clump in half.

I tried over and over again, trying to pick up just a small clump of rice, but something kept going wrong—either one of the chopsticks would move from its place between my fingers or they would slice right through the clump—and it was ticking me off.

"Crap!" I muttered angrily as I yet cut another clump in half.

"What're you doing?" I heard a voice behind me ask.

I stiffened as I looked over my shoulder to see Kyo walking toward me. I quickly grasped the chopsticks in my hand and hid them so he couldn't see as I felt my cheeks heat up. I gave him an embarrassed smile, "Nothing, just getting something to eat."

He studied me, his eyes searching my face, "Then go ahead and eat." He said suspiciously, his arms crossed over his chest.

I looked down at the chopsticks in my hand; I couldn't look him in the eye. "I can't." I mumbled softly, poking at the taunting bowl of rice with the chopsticks. "I don't know how you guys can use these stupid chopsticks."

He gave me a cocky half-smile as he took my hand with the chopsticks and arranged them correctly. "It'll take some practice," he advised as he gestured to the bowl of rice, "but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it."

I was able to wobbly pick up a clump of rice; I held it up in the air with triumph, "I did it!" I then stuck the rice in my mouth. "Mmm…victory tastes good."

Kyo smirked, "Now you can eat with the rest of us instead of locking yourself up in your room all the time."

I lowered my eyes, "Yeah, well, I'm not use to eating with chopsticks." I mumbled.

* * *

Author's Note: Alright...so last week I told you that I'd share my thoughts on the new Xiaolin Chronicles...and I have this to say...as a continuation of Xiaolin Showdown, it was a disappointment...as a new show, it was okay but I didn't like the TRON-like effect they added to the showdowns. That's all I'm saying on the subject because if I don't stop...I'll start going on a rant...and I don't want that -.-

Kyo: She's done that a couple hundred times now -.-

Author: ... I'd love to say he's wrong, but I can't v.v

Kyo: So that's one point for me X) *marks invisible tally*

Author: Whatever...just say goodbye already

Kyo: Oh yeah -.- I forgot...*clears throat* Alright listen up! This chapter is over, next Friday Chapter 28 will be posted so read it if you want this story to keep going! Also, tell us what the freaking heck you all think 'cuz we aren't mind readers! We can't touch the computer and be like 'Oh, so Rose is wondering why that bracelet Jayme is wearing is so important to the story...it's just a stupid piece of jewelry' we can't do that! So give those fingers a work out and tell us what the heck you're thinking dang it! Now get typing!

Author: -.- Maybe you shouldn't sign off anymore...

Kyo: I didn't want to do it in the first place, baka...


	28. Chapter 28

I glanced up at him and he had a cocky smile on his face; I felt my cheeks flush, "What?!"

"Nothing," he said as he scooped some rice into his hand. He formed the rice into a ball and proceeded to eat it. "I just think it's funny how you always seem to assume that when someone's quiet, they have something to say." He muttered with his mouth full.

I shrugged my shoulders, "Someone's always have something to say…it's whether or not we choose to say it."

Kyo looked at me inquisitively, taking another bite of his ball of rice. He opened his mouth to say something after he swallowed, but he froze.

I cocked my head slightly to the side in curiosity, "What's wrong?" He didn't answer me, but I could tell he was straining his ears listening to something. "Kyo, what is it?" I whispered.

"Oh, Kyo Kyo!" a girlish voice sang out happily somewhere off in the distance along with someone knocking on the door.

Kyo tensed up, his face the epitome of fear, and then he busted out the door, away from the voice.

"Well, that was weird." I mumbled to myself. I walked out of the kitchen and to the front door. When I slid open the door, a girl about the same age as me with long, straight, dark brown hair and large grey eyes wearing a billowy pastel green dress with a white ruffle trim stood in the doorway. Her joyous grin on her face disappeared as she saw me.

"Hello." She said cautiously. Her eyes searched behind me, looking for something. "Is Kyo here?"

I stood there awkwardly, "Are-are you a friend of his?" I asked, not sure whether or not to let this girl into the house.

She shook her head as she brushed past me into the living room, "Not really."

"Uh, Miss," I called out, "I don't think Kyo would appreciate you barging in like this."

She turned her gaze on me, her eyes went cold all of a sudden, "Who are you?" she asked venomously.

"Uh…My name is Jayme," I answered, taken off guard.

She walked right up to me, her hands on her hips, "Why are you here?" she snapped. "I think it's you who isn't supposed to be here!"

"Excuse me!" I huffed, starting to get a little mad. "But I live here. Now I don't know who you are or why you're here…"

"I'm Kyo's fiancé." She stated smugly as she crossed her arms. Then her eyes turned into daggers, "And I don't remember approving of another girl moving in here!" she screamed.

My jaw dropped, _Kyo's fiancé?! But he's too young to have a fiancé…right? Maybe it's a Japanese thing._ I mentally shook myself. "I'm sorry," I said, eyeing the girl suspiciously. "But this is Shigure's home and I don't think you can dictate who lives here and who doesn't."

"Shigure! Lemme go!" I heard Kyo shout angrily from Shigure's study.

Shigure came through the door clutching Kyo by the back of his collar.

"Why hello there, Kagura!" he smiled pleasantly at the girl. "I see you've met Jayme, the newest addition of our little family."

The girl that Shigure called Kagura looked right past him and was staring at Kyo who was still trying to get out of Shigure's grip.

"Kyo?" she whispered, her eyes turning dewy.

Kyo flinched at his name and he looked at Kagura with dread.

"Kyo!" Kagura shouted as she ran to him. Shigure let go of Kyo's collar and stepped out of the way as Kagure glomped Kyo.

"Get off of me!" Kyo shouted as he tried to pry Kagura off.

I stood there with my mouth open as I watched the scene from a short distance away. I vaguely noticed Shigure walk up next to me.

"He-he didn't turn into a-a-a cat." I mumbled stupidly as I watched Kagura hug Kyo over and over again.

Shigure chuckled, "That's another mystery to add to the Sohma curse. When members of the Zodiac hug other members, we don't change. We don't know why it happens, but it does."

"Why haven't you called, Kyo Kyo?" Kagure whined as she clung to Kyo's waist. "Why haven't you been in touch with me?"

"Maybe it's 'cuz I don't wanna!" Kyo yelled, prying Kagura off. "And quit callin' me Kyo Kyo!"

Kagura's eyes turned to daggers as she punched Kyo across his face, sending him flying through one of the thin screen doors. "How dare you not keep in touch with your fiancé?! I have been worrying sick about you!" she jumped on him and began pounding his face.

"Quit saying you're my fiancé!" Kyo managed to shout in between punches.

Shigure sighed tiredly as Kagura continued to beat up Kyo, "Well, there goes another door. I do wish the two of them would be careful. I'm not made of money."

I stared at Shigure in shock, "Well, aren't you gonna do anything?!" I gestured to Kyo and Kagura.

He looked at me confused, "Why would I? This is how Kagura shows her affection."

I rolled my eyes as I went toward the duo.

"Jayme! What're you doing?!" Shigure exclaimed in surprise. "You're gonna hurt yourself!"

I stepped into the other room and Kagura was roughly shaking an unconscious Kyo.

"Hey! Stop that! Let him go!" I shouted as I ran up to him.

Kagura looked up at me, her eyes full of hate as she clutched Kyo closer to her, "Don't you dare touch him!" she hissed.

I ignored her and grabbed Kyo by his shoulders and with effort pulled him away from her, careful not to hug him. "What the heck is wrong with you?!" I exclaimed as I noticed the bruises already forming on Kyo's face and arms. "How the heck is beating the crap out of him gonna show him you love him?!"

Her grey eyes narrowed, "Let go of him." She sneered. "Or you're gonna get it."

"Sorry to disappoint you, _chickie_, but I _ain't _afraid of you." I scoffed as I ripped part of my undershirt to wrap a small gash Kyo had on his arm.

Kagura stood up, "I won't warn you again." She seethed with anger, "Get away from him."

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, first thing...I know Kagura isn't acting quite like herself but there's a reason for that which shall be revealed later on in the story...so please, no hate comments okay?

Second...I would really love to know if anyone is really interested in being a guest star in the story because if not...well, I guess "Spot the Reference" is a waste v.v please let me know...

Kyo: You sound pathetic...

Author: Well if you were starting to get irritated because people keep correcting you -.-* wouldn't you like to know if the headache is worth it?

Kyo: -.- You're just a barrel of fun right now, aren't you?

Author: College starts Monday so I'm a bit...on edge...

Kyo: We can tell Grumpy...

Author: Bite me XP

Kyo: Alright...it seems like the Author is taking her frustration out on here so I guess it's time for us to go... You know the drill...Review/PM whatever it is to let us know what you think. Also, since college starts Monday, the updates might become a little sketchy so don't say we didn't warn you! Plus, you're lucky that the author makes sure to update despite being a nervous, irritated wreck...

Author: -.-" You know, maybe you should just stay in the story and out of my Author's Notes...

Momiji: I can cheer you up! *beaming smile*

Kyo: Why the heck are you here, you little-

Momiji: Here you go! Read this! *hands author letter from A Fan*

*Author reads letter while Kyo yells at Momiji who just smiles*

Author: This makes me happy! ^_^ *hugs Momiji*

Momiji: *poof*

Author: Oops! O.O" Sorry Momiji ^^' I was so happy I forgot...

Momiji: It's okay! You can hug me any time you like!

Kyo: *snatches letter* What does this say anyways...*reads*...-.-* If any one of them even thinks about-

Momiji: *gasp* He admitted it! XD

Kyo: O/./O" I admitted nothing! DX I just don't trust any one of you! Especially YOU! *points at author angrily* You're planning something and I know it!

Author: Maybe...maybe not XP You're gonna have to keep reading!

PS: To answer A Fan's question about the chapter lengths...I'm trying to stay around 1K give or take...the only reason it might be different is either the Author Notes or the POV changed... Also, about what I'm planning to do with the bracelet...it's secret ;P


	29. Chapter 29

My gut told me that this chick was serious and I stood up, my body tensing in preparation for a fight; I glared at her.

She smirked, "You asked for it." She then charged at me, her fist aiming for my face. I easily blocked and countered, trying to grab hold of her wrist to force her to her knees; she managed to dodge.

We fought—if you could even call it that—she was on full force offense, giving it everything she got—punching, kicking, jabbing—while I was mainly on defense, I didn't want to hurt the girl—even though it was _extremely_ tempting—but I certainly wanted her to know not to mess with me. We both managed to hit the other a few times—nothing serious, but enough to where it was going to leave a bruise or two—and it went on like that for a while. A few times, I caught Shigure giving us worried looks—he had Kyo, who was still unconscious, with him—and I tried my best not to destroy anything, but Kagura was not so careful.

Kagura and I were both panting by the time Kyo finally managed to wake up.

He put a hand up to his head, "What happened?" he mumbled as he looked around disoriented.

"Kyo Kyo!" Kagura exclaimed happily, completely forgetting about our fight. She ran to him, her arms outstretched, and I looked on confused.

Kyo's eyes went wide with fear as he tried to ran, but she was too fast and managed to wrap her arms around his leg. He shook her off and continued running with her after him and me after her. They ran through the door like it was nothing but paper—which it pretty much was—and they were headed to the woods.

As they ran, they didn't notice the delivery guy walking toward the house, and he didn't notice them because he had his head down looking at the package in his hands.

"Watch out!" I exclaimed, picking up speed. Too late.

Kyo shouldered past the guy, causing him to turn roughly, and he kept on running deep into the woods, but Kagura ran into the guy square in the chest, a pink cloud enveloping them. I quickly ran into the cloud, hoping with all the smoke he didn't see Kagura change into one of the Zodiac animals. I saw the figure of the guy, coughing and choking on the rapidly fading cloud of smoke, and then I saw a small animal shaped figure on the ground next to him. I picked up the animal and fell to my knees; the cloud of smoke disappearing.

"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed, acting as if I was the one who bumped into him, "I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," a voice said. As the last of the smoke disappeared, a guy about my age with shaggy black hair and deep blue eyes looked up at me. I felt my cheeks turn pink, _Holy crap this guy is hot! _"Uh, are you okay?" he asked slowly, I notice his cheeks colored as well.

I nodded, "I'm-I'm so sorry for running into you like that." I mumbled, "I was just trying to get my pet…" I glanced down at the animal in my hands, a small and very ticked off brown boar, "…my pet boar." I held up Kagura so he could see.

He looked at Kagura and gave a small smile, "What's it's name?" he asked as he stood up. He held out a hand for me.

I took his hand and he helped me up, "Her name's, uh, Erza."

Kagura gave a snort, telling me she didn't like the name I thought of on the spot.

"That's a nice name." he smiled. I then noticed that we still grasped each other's hands, and the color in my cheeks deepened. He seemed to notice our hands as well for then he introduced himself, "I'm Hei." He smiled, the color in his cheeks growing darker.

"Jayme." I mumbled sheepishly shaking his hand.

His cheeks went another shade darker, "What a beautiful name." his eyes then went wide a little as he bent down to pick up the package he was holding, "This is for you then. It came all the way from America." He was about to hand me the package when he noticed that I was still holding Kagura. "I can hold Erza for you while you put the package inside." He smiled reaching for Kagura.

I smiled nervously, "No that's okay, Erza isn't very friendly. She's kind of a biter." I blocked his hand with my left and as I did, Kagura bit me, almost as if to give an example. I grit my teeth at the pain that shot up my arm, "See?" I strained. "I'm still trying to teach her some manners." I tried pulling my hand away from her mouth, but every time I would, she would clamp down harder, so I stopped before more damage could be done.

"Here, let me take that for you." Shigure smiled cheerily as he came out of nowhere to swipe the package away from Hei. He began walking toward the house; "Jayme, I think you should come inside now, the others'll be here shortly and you don't wanna miss dinner!" he called over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go." I mumbled sheepishly, trying not to let the pain be heard in my voice. _Shigure managed to take the stupid package and not this insane chick?!_

"That's okay, I still got deliveries to make." He chuckled. He looked at me, his deep blue eyes twinkling and his cheeks flooding with color. "I'll see you later, I guess."

I nodded, "See you later." I then turned around and headed inside.

Shigure slid the door closed, even though it didn't do much good for there was a large hole in it where Kyo and Kagura ran through.

"That was a close one." He sighed as he placed the package on the couch. "Kagura let go of Jayme."

Kagura bit down harder, making me wince.

"Kagura," Shigure warned, "What would Kyo think?"

I felt Kagura sigh as she spit out my hand, blood dripping all over my clothes.

"Serves her right for messing with my Kyo." She huffed as she jumped out of my hand and onto the floor.

Shigure gave a tired sigh as he walked into the kitchen, "After I call Hatori, you two and I are going to have a nice little chat."

* * *

Author's Notes: Okay...so I just finished my first week of college and...I think I'm going to be alright ^_^' I met some new people that seem like good characters and I like most of my professors (but I have to get used to calling them 'professor' and not 'Mr./Mrs.') but I'm SO tired you have no idea -.- During the summer, I used to wake up around noonish and go to sleep like around 1 AM or 2 AM. Now, I have to wake up at 5 AM because I have class at 7AM and my last class ends around 6PM. I'm going to have such a difficult time getting used to my new and very EARLY schedule, but I promise to update as regularly as I possibly can! I actually tried updating earlier, like around 1PM, but for some reason FanFiction would NOT load...I don't know why either. So I apologize for a late update, but at least I updated on Friday ^_^"

Kyo: *bound and gagged* Mfmfffmffmmmffmf!

Author: Sorry Kyo, but I'm very sleep deprived at the moment and your yelling earlier about you knowing something bad was going to happen was giving me a headache -.- (he was mad at me for introducing Hei, another rival in love)

Kyo: *glares at Author*

Author: What? It's true... Anyways...I need some sleep so I'm going to go...take a nap *yawns* Review like always please! And Kyo, I might let you go once I...wake...up *collapses on Kyo asleep*

Kyo: *rolls eyes*


	30. Chapter 30

Kyo's POV:

I ran through the woods until I knew that Kagura wasn't following me anymore. I stopped for a moment, I leaned against a tree and I waited until I caught my breath to head back to the house. I kept arguing with myself, about whether or not I really should be going back, but I left before dinner and if I knew my appetite well enough, it wouldn't leave me alone until I had eaten. I had no idea why Kagura showed up randomly. _She always did this! She'd never leave me alone even when we were kids_! I let out a frustrated groan as I walked to the house. Then I suddenly heard a twig snap ahead of me and I knew it wasn't an animal; I froze as I strained my ears for any indication that it might be Kagura. It wasn't. Instead, it was the same guy I bumped into when I ran into the woods. As we got closer to one another, I noticed the goofy smile on his face slowly fade as he saw me. _He's probably a little ticked that I ran into him like I did. _I reasoned. As soon as we got within earshot, I spoke.

"Hey man, sorry for running into you like that." I muttered half-heartedly.

"That's alright, the package wasn't fragile so you didn't break anything." He said hesitantly, his blue eyes sizing me up and down.

My guard went up as I clenched my hands into fists at my side, "What're looking at?!"

He shook his head, "Nothing," he muttered. He rubbed the back of his head as he looked away, "I sorta ran into your girlfriend. Sorry."

Fear gripped me, _He thinks Kagura's my girlfriend?! _"I don't have a girlfriend." I stated quickly.

He looked up, hope in his eyes, "Oh, then I guess it was your…sister?" he asked uncertainly.

I felt my upper lip lift in disgust, "I don't have a sister either!" I said a little too loud.

He let out a big sigh, "Oh, that's a relief." He smiled. "I was worried that you actually had some relationship with that girl." He rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry about that…I was just making sure."

"No!" I said firmly, "I have absolutely no kind of relationship whatsoever with her at all! You want her? Take her. Heck, you have my blessing too if you want."

The guy grinned as he nodded in acknowledgement, "Name's Hei."

"Kyo." I nodded.

"Hey, I know this is gonna sound a little weird…" he mumbled, rubbing his neck, "But I think she struck me," he pointed to upper left of his chest, "…right here. You know what I mean?"

I smirked, "That's Kagura for you. She'll bet you to a pulp if you're not careful." I ran my hand over a bruise on my arm, "Trust me."

"Kagura?" Hei repeated confused, "Oh, I guess that's what you call her." He chuckled, "Yeah, her name's a little Western sounding isn't it? _Jayme_. But man, I don't know what's cuter, her name or her."

I stiffened, _Wait, he's not talking about Kagura…he's talking about…Jayme? How the heck does he know Jayme?! And what does he mean by he doesn't know what's cuter?!_

Hei chuckled again, "I'm sorry, I should probably let you get back, huh? I don't even know why I'm talking about this with a complete stranger." He started laughing as he walked past me.

I stared after him as he walked off, whistling to himself. I then turned around and began to walk mindlessly back to the house. _He was talking about Jayme the whole time…and I said he could have her—like she was just some…trophy—and I said he had my blessing. Crap, I'm such an idiot! Why didn't I ask him who he was talking about?! Wait a minute, why do I even care? Why should I care if he likes her or not? It's not like I like her like that…right? I mean, I don't want another Kagura on my hands, right? But something tells me that she's not like Kagura…it's like Hatori said the first night she was here…she's different. But then, why do I feel like I wanted to punch that guy when I found out it was Jayme he was talking about? Why do I feel the need to punch Haru every time he looks at her? Why do I feel more protective over her when Shigure makes his perverted jokes? I never did that for Tohru as much as I do for Jayme. _I sighed as I put a hand up to my head which was throbbing from the multiple beatings Kagura gave me. _I'm so screwed up…I can never sort out my feelings. I know I don't hate her, but I don't love her…right? I mean, I get nervous around her—a little bit sure—but it's not like I'm afraid to talk to her. And I find it funny when she tries to do the simplest of things around the house and then she blames it on that she's American. And I like the way her eyes twinkle when she'd blush and when she'd laugh..._I felt a small smile start to form on my face as I remembered the time Tohru accidentally put one of Jayme's shirts in my closet...

* * *

Author's Note: Hey, my lovely readers! Just finished my second week...and I have to say...I think I'm more tired than I was last week! -.-" Maybe it's because my body still isn't used to my early schedule...(hopefully, it adjusts soon)

I would like to thank all of the people who reviewed and have been reviewing ^W^ it makes me so happy! Especially if you ask questions or make really funny comments... X)

Jayme: I liked the one from Guest about sending Kagura to the BBQ XP

Author: Yeah...Well, that was a bit mean (even though it WAS funny...)

Jayme: *scoffs* Oh please! She freaking bit my hand! You don't think that's mean?!

Author: No, that's just vicious...

Jayme:*sigh* Whatever...I'm just thankful that it was my left hand and not my right...

Author: Yeah huh? ^^" Anyways, like I was saying before...Thank you all for your comments X) They make my day!

Jayme: Don't forget about us! We read them too!

Haru: Yes, so if you guys would keep writing...that'd be really great.

Jayme:Haru? What are you doing here o.o?

Haru: Oh...o/o uh...I was just walking by when...uh...I saw the Author here talking to the readers so I figured... uh... Hey look! We were the first FanFic for TC!

Jayme: Oh yeah! She said that she joined FanFic because she wanted to keep up with the story! X) We're so honored to be the reason why TC joined!

(Author: Ever get that feeling when people take over something that was supposed to be just for you? Yeah...getting that right now *yawn*)

Haru: Anyways, it seems like we're upsetting the Author because we're taking up all her talking time... *looks over shoulder at Author nodding off* So I guess this is where we sign off...

Please REVIEW! We love reading them...until next time...*mumbles to himself* maybe this time I can have a little more Jayme action... -.-

Jayme: Haru, did you say something o.o?

Haru: Not really ^_^' just wondering when the Author fell asleep...

Jayme: *looks back at sleeping Author* Well she WAS tired...

Anyways...Hasta la Pasta!


	31. Chapter 31

_I __was so tired that morning, I didn't even bother to look at the shirt I pulled out of my closet. The shirt was tighter than normal, but I didn't care, I just needed a shirt for the day. I walked downstairs and I remember Shigure looking at me funny. "What're you looking at?" I growled, plopping down on the couch. Shigure just smiled, "Nothing, it's just that you must be really tired right now." I groaned, "You have no idea. I don't know what's with me lately, but I just can't seem to get enough sleep and it's driving me nuts!" Shigure chuckled, "I bet." _

I then remembered hearing Jayme and Tohru talking down the hall, coming closer. _"I told you it wasn't in my closet." Jayme sighed as she and Tohru walked into the living room. "I'm so sorry." Tohru apologized, "I-I don't know what I did with it. I remember washing it and everything." _I remembered the funny look I got from the girls as they noticed me. _"Don't look at me," I said defensively. "I don't wear girl clothes." Jayme smiled, "That's because it's not meant for girls, Captain America." "What the heck are you talking about?!" I snapped, frustrated. _I remembered Jayme laughing, a sweet and infectious laugh, as she sat next to me. I remembered my face felt like it was turning 100 different shades of red. _She tugged lightly on my shirt, "You're wearing my shirt." She giggled. I looked down and sure enough, I wasn't wearing my shirt. Instead, I was wearing a light blue shirt with target looking symbol with a large white star in the middle. I quickly pulled the shirt off and threw it at Jayme, my face heating up like it was on fire. Shigure busted up laughing. "Why didn't you tell me I was wearing her shirt?!" I yelled at him, completely embarrassed. Shigure shook his head, "I thought it was an act of love." He chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye. Anger built up inside of me, "Why the heck would I wear her shirt?!" I snapped, my hands balling into fists in front of me. "If it'd be anything, it'd be __her__ wearing __my__ shirt!"_

I then remembered looking at Jayme after I said that-I wasn't watching what I was saying and I was afraid that she'd taken it the wrong way-but when I looked at her, it seemed as if the whole world had stopped. She had her head tilted down, but her breathtaking brown eyes had flickered up to meet mine and a shy smile played on her lips. The blush that had blossomed across her face only made her look even more incredible and I remembered my knees becoming weak as I wanted to wrap her in my arms and kiss her until I couldn't breath.

Suddenly feelings and emotions began whirling around inside me, making me stop walking. I shook my head and the feelings subsided and I began walking again. _What the heck was that? Why did I stop? Why did I suddenly feel like I was there again, in that moment? This girl is screwing me up! Why does she do this to me?! Why is it that this one girl has the power to bring me to my knees every time she smiles?! And why does this same girl have the power to suddenly make me want to pour out all my feelings to her?! _I clenched my hands into fists, my body tensing up, and I felt something tight around my right bicep. I looked at it and noticed that someone had wrapped a cut with a white strip of fabric with lace on the edge. I furrowed my brow as I inspected it, fingering the lace. _This looks familiar…but I can't remember where I saw this before. Who put it on me? Was it when Kagura knocked me out? Oh…I hope it wasn't Kagura. _I shivered.

I soon came up on Shigure's house, but I stopped short, standing on the porch looking in through the hole I accidentally made when Kagura was chasing me earlier. I could hear voices inside talking about something.

"I don't know why you called him," I heard Jayme grumble. "I'm fine, it's just nothing."

"It looks much more serious than nothing, Jayme." Shigure reasoned. "Besides, Hatori'll be here any minute."

_Hatori? _I thought worriedly to myself, _What's wrong with Jayme that Hatori needs to come?_

"Kyo? What are you doing out here?" a disturbingly calm voice asked behind me, making me flinch slightly.

I turned around to face Hatori, "I should ask you the same thing." I replied.

"Shigure called me," he stated monotonously, "He said it was urgent."

"Kyo Kyo?" Kagura's shrill voice rang out, making me cringe.

I looked over my shoulder and sure enough, Kagura came bounding through the hole in the door and tackle-hugged me.

"Kyo Kyo!" she shrieked happily, clinging to my waist, "You came back! I knew you'd come back…you can't stand to stay away from me for long, can you?" she squealed. "Oh, hi Hatori!"

"Hello Kagura," Hatori nodded, "I see you're looking well."

"Kagura!" I shouted with anger, trying to pry her off. "Get the heck off me!"

"Hatori? Kagura? What're you doing here?" I heard Tohru ask from behind us. I turned my head and sure enough I saw Tohru and Yuki with grocery bags in their arms looking at us.

"Oh, hi Tohru! Hi Yuki!" Kagura smiled happily as she still clung to me. "I just came to see my Kyo Kyo."

I felt the anger boil inside me, "Stop calling me that!" I roared.

"Ah…Hatori, you're here!" Shigure smiled as he slid open the door, even though there was still a large gaping hole in it.

Hatori nodded, "You called didn't you? You said it was urgent."

That caught my attention; _Oh yeah, I almost forgot…Shigure called Hatori because something was wrong with Jayme…and what does he mean by 'urgent'?_

Shigure nodded, "Yes, and don't let her fool you, she's in a lot of pain even though she won't admit it."

"What happened?" Tohru asked in concern. I ignored Kagura's constrictor-like grip around my waist as I stared at Shigure, waiting for him to explain.

"Nothing." Shigure chuckled humorlessly putting on a fake smile and waving a dismissive hand.

"Where is she?" Hatori asked calmly.

Shigure glanced at him, "She's upstairs putting away my clothes…I told her that Tohru could do it, but she's a stubborn one alright."

* * *

Author's Note: Hey all my precious readers! \(^_^)/ I'm feeling a lot better this week than the last... I hope you guys are enjoying my story so far...I have a lot of fun making it! Except for the writer's block -_-" it's sort of like I know the main parts I need to write about and all their details, but I can't seem to get there... (I now know how Shigure must feel sometimes v.v)

Anyways, I don't really have anything to say o.o So...I guess this installment of "Author's Note" is short (for once) Oh! I do have one small announcement, I won't be doing the whole "Spot the Reference" thing...I'm sorry for anyone who wanted to do it, but I just received all of the due dates for my classes and I don't have the time do it so instead of asking people to guess star, it'll be given as an award. An award for what? Well, that's only for me to know ;P So, um, yeah.

Anyways, I think you guys are REALLY going to like the next few upcoming chapters! Please review and/or PM me, I'd really love to hear from all of you :3 'Til next time! Have a great week!


	32. Chapter 32

Suddenly, a loud thud from upstairs echoed throughout the house.

"That didn't sound good." Yuki mumbled.

In a flash, everyone rushed up the stairs and bolted to Shigure's room. I stood next to Shigure in the front of the pack; I could feel something inside me grip my chest.

"Jayme?" Shigure called out as he slid open the door the rest of the way. "Jayme, are you alright?"

When the door opened, I saw her over in the far side of Shigure's room on her knees hunched over and clutching something to her chest. I felt my heart drop as I stood there stunned and I could smell the faint metallic tell-tale stench of blood; she looked like she was in pain...and a lot of it.

"I'm fine." I heard her whisper in a small strained voice. "I-I-I just tripped…that's all."

"Shigure," Hatori said as he shouldered his way to the front. "I need a small glass of water."

Shigure nodded as he headed downstairs, a look of worry evident on his otherwise carefree face. Hatori glanced inside the room, then he looked at the four of us still standing by the door.

"The rest of you can go," he said, his voice stern. "She'll be fine."

Shigure came back up the stairs with a glass of water in his hand. "Listen to Hatori kids," he smiled weakly, "He knows what he's doing."

Hatori shot an annoyed glare at Shigure as Yuki led Tohru down the stairs, mumbling words of comfort.

"C'mon Kyo Kyo," Kagura sniffed, tugging on my arm. "Hatori said she'll be fine."

"Stop calling me that!" I hissed, ripping my arm from her grip and bolting for my room. I slammed the door and leaned against it. She didn't follow me. I pressed my ear against the door and listened for Kagura to go downstairs. I wanted her to get away from me so I could figure out what the heck happened to Jayme and why Hatori needed to see her.

"Don't worry about him," Shigure said. "He's just in one of his moods."

Kagura sighed, "I know…but I can't help shake the feeling that something's…different with him. He seems to dislike me more than he used to."

Shigure chuckled, "I'm sure it's just your imagination. Now run along with the others and don't worry about Kyo, I'm sure he's just fine."

I then heard Kagura's loud footsteps go down the stairs.

"Shigure…the water?" Hatori said calmly.

"Oh, right. Sorry." There was a slight pause, "She is going to be okay, right? I mean…you'll make her feel better, right?" Shigure muttered softly, not caring to try and cover up the worry in his voice.

"I'll try." Hatori answered as he shut the door.

I opened my door a crack and peaked outside. I saw Shigure with his ear to his door, listening to what was going on inside. I walked out.

"What're you doing?" I whispered harshly as I came toward him.

He put a finger to his lips, signaling me to keep quiet, "Listen" he mouthed.

I rolled my eyes as I hesitantly pressed my ear up against the door.

"What's the glass of water for?" I heard Jayme's soft voice mutter.

"Pain." Hatori stated. "Get on the bed."

I stiffened, but then I caught myself, _Calm down Kyo, Hatori just asked her to sit on the bed. There's nothing wrong about that._

I heard the small sigh of the mattress, suggesting that she did as she was told.

"Are you sure we should be doing this here?" Jayme asked, worry in her voice.

I heard a slight rustling of clothing. I pressed my ear closer to the door, _What're they doing?! Why is one of them taking off their clothes?!_

"I mean," I heard Jayme continue, "Won't Shigure's bed get all…messy?"

_Messy?! Why would his bed get all messy?! _I glanced at Shigure, who was listening as intently as I was; he had a concentrated look on his face.

"I'll clean up if there's any mess." Hatori's disturbingly calm voice answered, "Besides, the mess should be the least of your worries."

I heard his briefcase open and I heard something drop into the glass of water.

"Drink this." Hatori ordered.

There was a slight pause—my guess it was Jayme drinking whatever Hatori dropped into the water.

"Good." Hatori said. "Now I'm going to need you to hold still."

I heard something unzip. Anger gripped me as I thought of the worse.

"That's pretty big," I heard Jayme comment, "you sure you know what you're doing?"

"I've done this many times before." Hatori answered smoothly. There was a slight pause, "You've never had this done to you before…have you?"

"Never."

I heard Hatori let out a small sigh, "Well, I wish I could tell you it won't hurt…but it will."

I felt my rage begin to boil over and my muscles tighten. _What the heck is he going to do to her?!_ I yelled out mentally, but I already had a bad feeling about the answer.

I heard the bed squeak.

"Come here." Hatori commanded.

There was more rustling from inside the room.

"We won't be needing these." Hatori mumbled. Another pause, "This is going to hurt…but I'll try to be as gentle and quick with you as possible."

"Okay." Jayme's small voice was barely audible through the door.

Then I could hear Jayme gasp, followed by her moaning, and I felt myself bristle with rage and disgust.

"Hatori," Shigure murmured, a perverted grin plastered on his face, "you sly dog you."

I pressed myself closer to the door, not wanting to believe what I was hearing. I wanted to stop them right now, but I couldn't move; my body frozen in place either by shock or fear, I couldn't tell.

"Almost done," I heard Hatori breathe, "Stop squirming…I need you closer."

I heard Jayme let out a slight whimper.

"I'm almost there." Hatori mumbled. "This is going to hurt."

"Hatori?" I heard Jayme's frightened voice whisper.

A slight pause.

"Hatori?!" she breathed, her voice growing loud and frantic. "Hatori!? Hatori!"

All of a sudden, my and Shigure's combined weight caused us to rip through the door.

* * *

Aurhor's Note: Hmm...I wonder what was going on behind the door? Mwahaha X} I'm so evil...


	33. Chapter 33

Jayme's POV:

~*~*~Rewind~*~*~

I heard everyone's footsteps rush up the stairs as soon as I fell. I clutched my left hand to my stomach; the blood was bleeding through the thin bandages I managed to wrap around my hand and was soaking through both my light blue tank top and my white undershirt as well. _Dang, this freaking hurts like my hand's been freaking dipped in boiling lava!__  
_

"Jayme?" Shigure called out as he slid open the door the rest of the way. "Jayme, are you okay?"

_Freaking crap..._I tried ignoring the pain as best I could, "I'm fine." I whispered, my voice sounding strained. "I-I-I just tripped…that's all."

I stayed hunched over with my back to them, _I can't let them see me like this, _I thought to myself as I bit back the pain as best I could. _Don't make a sound, try and think of something else and not focus on the pain...um...how about when Kanda got smacked the the face by the door? Hehehe...that was freaking hilar-CRAP! This freaking hurts like heck! I swear, if that chick tries to hurt me again, I won't hold back!_

"Shigure," I heard Hatori say from the doorway. "I need a small glass of water."

I then heard footsteps—Shigure's probably—rushing down the stairs.

"The rest of you can go," Hatori ordered, his voice stern. "She'll be fine."

I heard footsteps coming up the stairs, "Listen to Hatori kids," Shigure said, his voice weak, "He knows what he's doing."

I heard Yuki lead Tohru down the stairs, mumbling words of comfort.

"C'mon Kyo Kyo," Kagura sniffed, "Hatori said she'll be fine."

"Stop calling me that!" Kyo hissed angrily. I then heard him run off somewhere and a door slamming in the distance. I smiled to myself despite the pain, _That sounds like Kyo alright._

"Don't worry about him," Shigure said. "He's just in one of his moods."

Kagura sighed, "I know…but I can't help shake the feeling that something's…different with him. He seems to dislike me more than he used to."

Shigure chuckled, "I'm sure it's just your imagination. Now run along with the others and don't worry about Kyo, I'm sure he's just fine."

I then heard Kagura's loud footsteps go down the stairs.

"Shigure…the water?" Hatori said calmly.

"Oh, right. Sorry." There was a slight pause, "She is going to be okay, right? I mean…you'll make her feel better, right?" Shigure muttered softly, not caring to try and cover up the worry in his voice.

"I'll try." Hatori answered as he shut the door.

I glanced over my shoulder as Hatori entered the room. He slowly walked over to the bed, studying me with his hooded gaze.

"What's the glass of water for?" I asked eyeing Hatori as he calmly set his briefcase on Shigure's bed.

"Pain." he stated as he placed the glass on the nightstand. He looked at me out of the corner of his dark green eye, "Get on the bed." He ordered.

I nodded as I carefully stood up, still clutching my bleeding hand to my chest; I hesitantly sat on the firm but cushiony mattress, making it let out a small sigh.

"Are you sure we should be doing this here?" I asked as Hatori shrugged off his suit jacket and began to roll up his white linen sleeves. "I mean…won't Shigure's bed get all…" I looked down at my bloody hand, "messy?"

Hatori smirked slightly, "I'll clean up if there's any mess. Besides, the mess should be the least of your worries."

He opened up his briefcase and pulled out a small white tablet and dropped it in the water; it quickly dissolved completely when he handed it to me.

"Drink this." Hatori ordered as I took the glass.

I eyed the glass nervously before I reluctantly drank the flavorless contents.

"Good." He murmured as he gingerly took the blood smeared glass and set it on the nightstand. "Now I'm going to need you to hold still." He said, unzipping a small black bag and pulling out a spool of black thread and a needle.

I stared at the long thin needle with dread, "That's pretty big…you sure you know what you're doing?"

Hatori looked at me with a blank face, "I've done this many times before." He answered smoothly. Then his eye grew soft, "You've never had this done to you before…have you?"

I shook my head. "Never." I mumbled, still eyeing the needle as Hatori threaded it.

Hatori let out a small sigh, "Well, I wish I could tell you it won't hurt…but it will." He said calmly as he drew nearer, making the bed squeak. "Come here." He ordered, gently pulling my left arm. He then began to unwrap my crudely made bandages, "We won't be needing these." He mumbled.

As the bandages were tossed to the side, he saw the full extent of my injury; I couldn't help but stare at my own grisly wound. I had managed to clean off most of the blood before I put the bandages on—and whatever blood came afterwards was sort of wiped away when they were taken off—but the wound was still large. Kagura's bite made a semicircle on the inner side of my hand, passing over my first two knuckles and over some of my tendons; that whole side was swollen.

Hatori's eye quickly glanced up to find mine, "This is going to hurt…but I'll try to be as gentle and quick with you as possible."

I nodded, "Okay."

I let out a pained gasp as he drove the sharp needle through my sensitive skin, sending up streaks of pain up my arm. I groaned in agony each time the needle came in contact with my skin, and even a little louder when I felt the thread follow. I tried to keep quiet—at one point, I even tried putting my hand over my mouth in an attempt to muffle the noise—but I couldn't with him driving the white-hot needle through my skin; I could feel hot tears drip down my cheeks.

"Almost done," Hatori breathed as he focused on the last portion of the gash. As he continued sewing, I could feel my arm instinctively trying to pull my hand away from the pain. Hatori clamped my arm between his side and elbow, "Stop squirming." He ordered calmly, "I need you closer."

I whimpered as the pain kept shooting up my arm.

"I'm almost there." Hatori mumbled as he threaded the last of the stitches, "This is going to hurt." He warned.

"Hatori?" I whispered, frightened as I saw him put the needle down and grab the thread still attached to my hand with his thumb and forefinger.

"Hatori?!" I breathed, my voice growing loud and frantic. "Hatori!? Hatori!" I screamed out in excruciating agony as he tugged on the thread, pulling my skin together.

* * *

Author's Note: So who saw this coming? Anyone? Anyone? :3


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